The Forgotten Lake Part 2
by Chlorinda
Summary: Yes. Everyone wants to see our 3 darlings back in Middle Earth again. So away they go
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Reminisce

It had been a year since Ruby, Adam and Seth made their way back.

Esme was worried sick, if she had been physically capable of it. She made them promise not to go off too far to hunt alone again since the 3 of them were the perfect ingredients for a recipe of trouble.

Hunting trips exceeding Forks' borders were disallowed to them for the longest time.

But now that the incident had seemed so long ago, Adam and Ruby found that they could sneak off to further places. However, it was not without the supervision of their older siblings.

Ruby could not deny that the sight of blonde hair and piercing blue eyes would make her pay more attention to the particular person. It would then begin, a mental comparison inside her head, of how the person resembled or do not resemble Legolas.

The increasing longing to see him again began to eat at her. She hated the way when she would do something and it would lead her to think of him.

She had never outwardly spoken of it but the Cullens could tell there was something troubling her. The worse thing was knowing that questioning would get them nowhere, they did not attempt to.

Edward, of course, could tell straightaway. Ruby's thoughts were clear and loud. And simple, too. She wanted to see someone again, though he do not know who it is. But that someone had to do with a trip that Ruby had back then that made Esme fatigued with worry for almost 2 months.

After their return, Ruby had been the quietest among them to speak about it and relate their experience to the rest. It was almost as if she would rather choose to avoid the topic.

She was happy to be back at first. Thankful that they were among shy and ignorant humans once again and not the more intellectual know-all Elves who made immortality seem stunning and beautiful. She found herself appreciating humans all and opening up to them more readily than before, resulting in a few more good school friends, which was all the better to occupy her time with.

She was vexed with herself sometimes. Of course, she had to admit that she did get jealous of all her siblings at times. They were attached and partnered. She could not help but feel left out at times even though there always was big brother Adam. But at least even he managed to find someone whom he had a huge crush on, and that was the lovely Tanya.

She drummed her fingers impatiently on the table while pretending to pay attention to the TV in the living room.

Major examinations were just over last week and she was extremely bored. The life of a vampire can be pretty boring.

Esme was grocery-shopping, probably with Sam's wife, Emily. She took forever whenever she does because technically, Esme shops to feed a whole pack of wolves.

Ruby felt it was a good thing because Bella had once told her that the Kitchen at the Cullen's house was never in use before up until the wolves started having regular meals at their place. She could never imagine the state-of-the-art Kitchen (if there was such a thing) not being in use.

Carlisle never ever held back expenses when it came to the house renovations, which Ruby had to admit, was a rather frequent thing.

For sometimes when the brothers were fooling around, there would usually be a broken door or a hole in the wall that needed professional help.

She made her way to her room and as she closed the door behind her, she leaned back against it and sighed.

Her mobile rang as a text message was received. It was from Esme.

The message read: Home tonight? They are coming for dinner.

She keyed in her reply.

_Where else could I be? _She thought bitterly.

It was after the exams and all her friends were more busy than ever, taking odd jobs to save up for vacations or something expensive gadget that they were aiming throughout the school term.

Ruby knew she was lucky because she never had to wait on tables or work tiring shift hours to get what she wanted. Money was never a problem, and honestly there was nothing much that a Vampire could want or need, she thought, and a pair of blue eyes flashed in her mind once again.

She jumped into her bed. The sheets still smelt fresh and clean. Not surprising because sometimes the bed sheets could be changed up to two times in a day when Esme gets really bored.

It would be 3 times a day when Seth came to visit, to get rid of his stench.

Seth, and she smiled at the thought of him, would always jump into her bed to take a nap and at the same time, achieve his lifelong goal of irritating her by snoring. That guy also had absolutely no sense of privacy.

Ruby closed her laptop shut and decided to make her way down. Realising it was late afternoon, she decided to take a look to see if Esme needed any sort of help though she was quite sure it will not be necessary with Emily around.

Esme and Emliy had gotten to know each other after the Wolves started having dinner over at the Cullens' house. It was not difficult to figure out that 2 cooks are better than 1 when feeding the wolves. The food prepared was probably enough to feed a small village.

With the vampires now centred in Forks, there were also more wolves appearing within the Pack.

Ruby had long lost track but at last count, there was probably close to 30 of them, yet their appetite was comparable with 150 hungry and desperate people.

As Ruby reached the stairs, she decided to float downwards instead, just for the sake of using her special talent that was otherwise useless.

It was good she did that, for she eavesdropped on Esme's conversation with Emily.

"I'm worried about her." Esme confided.

"But I remembered you mentioned before that she's much better around humans now, isn't she?" Emily replied, as Ruby could hear her moving about the kitchen, probably in the midst of preparing some food.

"That's one thing, but there's this thing about her that I can't put my finger to it." Esme said, and Ruby could almost hear her frowning as well, judging by the tone of her voice.

"Since Edward had already hinted to you that it had to do with that trip a year ago, maybe you should let her go back." Emily said. There was silence in the kitchen and Ruby knew that they had stopped whatever they were doing to talk.

She froze in mid-air, unsure of whether she was supposed to go back to the top of the stairs and walk down 'noisily' for them to notice, or should she just stay at where she was and continue hearing the discussion that was obviously about her.

She thought, _Maybe, I do want to go back to Middle Earth. Maybe I want to go back much more than I thought!_

She was quite ashamed that it had to take another person to make her realize that.

She whirled around and sped through the air back to her room without waiting to hear Esme's response. Now that Ruby was sure of a return trip, the problem was how to go about approaching this sensitive topic to Esme.

It was another hearty dinner. Everyone was gathered at the huge dining table regardless of whether or not they are eating since it was the company that counts.

Jasper and Emmett had both once suggested that one day they would bring some live feed back but Esme and Carlisle would have none of it. Blood that wasn't fresh and warm was not good to taste. Moreover, it was quite a messy affair.

Ruby stood at the kitchen helping out by washing the dishes since almost every other lady in the household had a hand in helping out with the cooking while she hid in her room.

She felt someone coming up behind her.

"What's up, Leah?" She asked. It wasn't Leah's practice to creep up on someone like that.

"Nothing." She lied and made it sound nonchalant.

"Shoot." Ruby said through a smile.

Leah leaned against the kitchen counter and folded her arms. Her eyes never left Ruby.

"You know how I'm always the most grumpy and disgruntled person around here?" She started.

Ruby nodded her head without taking her eyes off the dishes she was washing.

"Yeah, well, you see, now I've lost that position to you." Leah said, throwing her hands in the air in pseudo frustration.

Ruby turned off the running tap and dried her hands, finally turning to look at Leah.

"Leah…" she began.

"No, look. Ruby, you look. I don't care what's bothering you, but it's bothering me as well, and quite evidently, everyone out there is worried about you." She interrupted Ruby's speech.

Leah added, "Well, of course, thankfully, you weren't as bad as how I heard Bella had been when Edward disappeared into thin air."

Ruby laughed. "Now, now. That's abit drastic isn't it? And let's try to keep Bella out of the picture before she overhears this."

"Already did!" Bella's voice reached them through from the dining room.

"I've heard Seth talk about this Legolas guy. Or was it the other one who's making you the way you are now?" She paused as she tried to recall what Seth had said. "Either way, get your sexuality figured out first, will you? I heard they're just a bunch of pretty boys."

"They're more than that! But anyway, just keep them out of this conversation, okay? Esme's going to start firing away questions if you even remind her about this."

"Okay. But do you intend to return?" She asked, not giving up until she got her answer for the most vital question.

"Eventually, the answer is yes." Rub replied, quietly. "I would love to see Middle Earth again. And more of Middle Earth this time." And she turned around to continue with the dishes.

_A/n: Yes. I'm assuming that the War of the Ring and the entire journey travelled by the Fellowship about a year's time in terms of Planet Earth's calculation (If I'm not wrong in Middle Earth it was supposed to take about.. 3 years or so?)._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/n: 2 things. Thank you and Sorry. _

_Thank you all for your reviews __ I appreciated it. I really do. And sorry for the confusion. Yes, Forgotten Lake rightfully should be a completed story since this is a Part 2. I just felt that if I hadn't uploaded it over there, none of you would ever find out about it. Moreover the part 2 would only serve to confuse new readers who had knew about part 1. _

_Oh yea. Excuses. I have aplenty. Haha! Enjoy! _

**Please note that Chapter 3 onwards will be uploaded to The Forgotten Lake Part 2. Thank you! **

**Chapter 2: Glittery**

Ruby should have noticed the weird silence that overtook the house when Leah started questioning her.

They were all eavesdropping to wait for her answer.

Soon as she gave it, Leah walked right out to collect her bets from the other Wolves as she slapped a high-five with her brother, Seth; the Cullens kept out of it since it was unfair when they had Alice and Edward to predict and sift the answer from Ruby's mind if it was necessary.

Carlisle put a comforting arm around his wife. Esme looked and smiled into the loving eyes of her husband.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concern filling his brow.

"Of course." Esme replied, but he was still not quite convinced of her answer.

"She's a big girl now. She can take care of herself. It's not like she will be going back alone." Carlisle reassured her. "In fact, she would have been a middle-aged lady if she did not turn."

Esme smiled at the thought. Her little girl as a middle-aged woman was unimaginable.

Ruby had always been a quiet child by Cullen's standards. Esme knew her reluctance to join the Cullen's family when they encountered the initial resistance. Anyone would have thought of giving up when faced with such hostilities.

But luckily for Ruby, she was paired up with the ever-optimistic and endearing Adam who looked out for her in every way and played a big part in getting everyone else to accept them. It wasn't that Ruby couldn't have done it alone but Adam quickened the process. In this aspect, Ruby was a lucky girl.

Esme would not deny that the fleeting thought of matchmaking Adam and Ruby together did cross her mind multiple times. But as with the unpredictable way Edward and Bella found each other, she knew she could not do much because sparks just did not fly.

She was delighted though, when Ruby confided in her one day that Adam had a huge crush on Tanya Denali. Though nothing had yet come out of it, she was still happy for Adam for having someone in mind to spend the rest of his life with.

But Ruby worried her. It used to be something that they worry over Edward when he could not find a partner. On top of that, Ruby was different. Everyone could recall a thing or two about their past lives before their transformation yet Ruby could never remember a single thing. Almost everyone of them had Carlisle there to remind them what they were like before they transformed. Even Alice's mysterious past was also tracked down to the Asylum while Jasper could recall his time spent with the vampire army, courtesy of his creator, Maria.

Esme was certain that sometimes Ruby kept so quiet because she was trying really hard to recall.

Did she have a family out there who was worried for her? What was she like when she was a human? What had become of her friends and family now?

As time passed and the decades rolled by, Ruby had never given up, because she knew that once she did remember anything, she was certain that she'd be able to track down whoever she needed to find out more about herself.

But that was only one of the worry that Esme was aware of. Now it was a second topic; Ruby's fascination with Middle Earth. Or rather, with a particular guy from Middle Earth. As if Edward's initial fascination and obsession with a human Bella was bad enough.

Adam had related their experiences in Middle Earth to Esme countless times, yet unfortunately there was no way he could properly describe the Elves. After being at a loss of words to properly describe them (since calling them beautiful actually served to confuse Esme even more) Adam once scratched his head and said, "I'd probably bring a camera the next time round to show you what I meant." At which Esme had reprimanded, as a mother would, "No, Adam. You're not going back."

Esme approached the door to Ruby's bedroom and knocked. After waiting a few seconds just to be polite, she opened the door slowly.

"Mom?" Ruby called out. She had returned to her room quietly after she was done with the dishes while everyone laid out in the spacious living room, chatting and lazing around.

Esme saw her adopted daughter sitting on top of the bed with her feet tucked under the thick blankets. It made her look delicate and fragile, like a little girl in need of protection.

Vampires never needed sleep but having a nice comfortable bed was Ruby's weird request for her bedroom when Esme and Carlisle asked her what she most wanted.

It doesn't serve to keep her warm since Vampires do not really care about the temperature at all, but it made her feel safe and secure as a personal bedroom should.

Esme walked over to Ruby and kissed the top of her head while enveloping her in a hug her.

"I know of your intentions." Esme said, and Ruby immediately lifted her head in surprise to look at her mother.

"Dad and I had a little discussion about this and… we both agreed…" She paused, while Ruby held her breath."… that our little girl is old enough to take care of herself. And besides, it's only right to reward her with a holiday after her examinations."

"You overheard us?" Ruby asked, referring to her little conversation with Leah. Esme, never a good liar, could only nod her head solemnly.

"But…" Esme added. "You're not going alone."

Ruby eyed her mother carefully. "Mom, please don't tell me that you and Dad will be tagging along?"

Esme threw her head back in laughter. "And what is wrong with your parents tagging along to take a look at your Elf friends? I heard they're quite a sight!"

"But no. Adam and Seth will be going with you."

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, up until Esme added "Along with any of your siblings or other wolves who would want to join in."

Ruby could only smile back at Esme. She certainly did not mind returning with a whole army of Cold Ones and Wolves. The Elves would certainly appreciate all the help they can get with them around, that is, if Orcs and spiders were still a concern for Mirkwood.

"Mirkwood." She whispered under her breath. She was quite surprised that after such a long time of denial, she could still easily recall the name of the place.

"What kind of a lousy lie is that?" Alice teased Adam though one could detect a hint of seriousness behind her question.

"Well, how else could I have explained myself? Hi, I'm Adam and I was carved out of this huge piece of Swarovski crystal. Look at me shine!" Adam said, and flexed his biceps for the effect.

Alice sat at the living room with a hand against her forehead, racking her brains while her hands occasionally flew over the keys of the laptop that was placed snugly on a cushion in her lap.

"That's not the only problem we are facing." Adam said, softer this time, as he moved nearer to Alice so that not even the other Vampires nearby could hear him.

He whispered something into her ear but it was made known soon enough.

"Five hundred bottles?" She screeched. "Where on earth am I going to find 500 bottles of something that doesn't exist!"

"Oh come on, Alice. If there really were such a product, you'd be the only one among us who would know where to source for it!" Adam half-whined.

"Besides," he continued, "Look at all the poor Elves and Elf-maidens who would be so disappointed when I return without their magical glittery lotion." He said as he brought the back of his hand against his forehead, trying to be dramatic.

Jasper then hand-signaled to Adam to 'get out' or risk being attacked by Alice.

"Don't worry." Alice said aside to Jasper as he was still signaling. "I don't see that coming yet." She said.

It didn't take long but 500 pretty bottles of glittered moisturizer was quickly assembled. It was made up of the stickiest suntan lotion that Alice could find, and mixed with a huge amount of coarse glitter since the original ones on the market came with glitter that was too fine it wouldn't resemble a vampire as much.

It was tried and tested on Leah while she was in human form, and who was also eager to reclaim her Queen of Grumpiness title. The results were almost close, if not better, for she sparkled even without the presence of sunlight.

"It is quite uncomfortable, if you ask me." She commented.

"What can I say," Alice remarked. "It's all thanks to the ingenius idea of Adam's." She said, as she started placing the lotions in the huge cardboard box that the glitters originally came in.

"Oh come on, Alice!" Seth said, as he caught sight of her packing when he entered the house. "We're gonna have to go underwater! Cupboard boxes?" He whined.

"Look, Adam only said about the lotions. I'm not responsible for finding the perfect way to transport all 500 bottles into the hands of your Elf friends." Alice said without stopping. There were just a handful more bottles left.

"Not even for Ruby?" Seth pleaded with puppy eyes.

This made Alice pause her hands in mid-air, holding the last 3 bottles that she intended to pack in.

"Did I hear my name?" Ruby said as she dusted the few drops of rain off her waterproof coat just as it started to pour outside.

"Nothing." Seth and Alice said at the same time.

There was a flash of lightning followed by thunder.

"How could I have not sensed it. It's time for some baseball." Alice said, with an evil glint in her eye.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Plunge

Though Emmett was game, Rosalie had never liked to travel much, unless it had something to do with sight-seeing of fancy cities, and without a doubt, Emmett followed wherever Rosalie went, so they were out for sure.

Jacob and Renesmee preferred some tough backpack hiking and was probably somewhere in South Africa. Middle Earth would definitely have been in their 'Places to Visit' list, but right there and then they were not able to make it back in time though they promised to join for the third trip.

Esme would not leave for Carlisle still had his day job to attend to; hospitals were never blessed with adequate manpower and Carlisle was a huge contribution to them. She wanted to make sure that at least she was around in the empty big house to welcome him home at the end of the tiring day.

Edward and Bella had promptly agreed to tag along for they had not been on a honeymoon together for a very long time (though it must have been only a year or so). It was difficult not to envy this seemingly perfect couple. Ruby never did believe in love at first sight, but it seemed quite the case for the both of them.

Seth was glad to go for sure, for he missed the food from Middle Earth. There was no one to hold him back from eating more than what was accorded to him during every meal. Still at the growth spurt stage, he found that sometimes he would not eat as much as he would have liked because there was honestly not enough food around at all. But Middle Earth was a different thing for him. Ruby had noticed the way he always had to gulp whenever they spoke about Middle Earth.

Moreover, with Edward and Bella going with them, he would have an additional share of 2 person's worth, for every Middle Earthen meal.

(-)

"Jasper would like to tag along too." Adam said, as he approached Ruby who was busy packing clothes for the trip. She was not going to be caught unawares this time, nor was she ever intending to cross-dress in manly Elf clothes again. Spandex was rather uncomfortable, even for a girl's standards.

"Fights for a worthy cause would be something I would be looking forward to." Jasper said, who was following closely behind Adam.

Ruby turned around to look at her two brothers. She tilted her head slightly. "Why do I get the feeling that Alice will not be going?" she asked.

"She saw herself there." Jasper explained. "But it led her to see what Middle Earth was like and she has absolutely no interest to spark a fashion revolution there."

"I should have known." Ruby said, unable to stop the corners of her lips from curving upwards. She turned around to resume packing.

"Would you really need that many clothes?" Jasper asked, as he picked up a huge zip-locked bag.

"Believe me, if you were a girl, you would." She said, and snatched the packet out of his hands. Jasper looked at Adam for an answer, but he just shrugged. "Just some previous bad experience with Elf's clothings." He said matter-of-factly.

( -)

"Are you sure about this?" Jasper questioned, eyeing the harmless pool of water in front of him. He gingerly took a step in.

"It would probably only cover me up to my ankle." He said, as he looked towards the middle of the puddle.

"That's the magic of it all!" Seth excitedly said.

"Watch this!" Seth shouted to Jasper.

"Be careful!" Adam yelled after him but it was too late.

He ran from afar and as he did, he morphed into his wolf form. Just as he reached the edge of the water, he took a gigantic leap and landed somewhere close to the middle. The water swallowed him up without much effort, and then all was silent as if Seth was never there.

The rest soon joined him and one by one, they gracefully dived headfirst into the water with hardly a splash.

Ruby was the last. She surfaced and as she did, she breathed in deeply, hungry for the scent in the air that tells her that she's back. And she was. Her nose breathed in deeply the familiar musty and humid smell that could only belong to Mirkwood.

The huge rocks that they had originally placed at the sides of the pool were still there, obviously Seth had moved them out of the way in anticipation of the arrival of the others behind him.

Her other 5 companions were still trying to dry their clothes as decently as possible, in case they were met with any unexpected company who thought that they rolled around in a puddle like kids. What an absurd first impression that would have made.

As it was when they first arrived, the forest was quiet and strange. It was as if it reacted and was surprised at the intrusion of these 6 beings that emerged from the water.

"They are speaking." Edward said in a soft voice as if he was afraid to disturb the tranquility. "What about?" Seth asked, following Edward's eyes as it traced the trees that surrounded them.

"I don't know. I don't speak the language of trees." He retorted, and the rest laughed at Seth's annoyed expression.

Edward further explained, "It sounds exactly like hundreds and hundreds of bass instruments playing different tunes at the same time."

"It's okay. They probably know we mean no harm." Jasper said, as he patted a random tree trunk closest to him. Adam nodded in agreement.

All of them had been briefed as thoroughly as possible regarding what Seth, Adam and Ruby knew and came across a year ago. They had learnt not to be too surprised at whatever that came their way. It was easy for now but no one knew what was going to happen next. An orc? Jasper was definitely looking forward to that. But Edward and Bella were obviously more interested in the beautiful Elves that Seth and Adam had sung praises about, and quiet little Ruby had even taken a liking to.

They also knew that the Elves were a cautious Race. It wouldn't do well to act like a bunch of tourists in front of them.

(-)

Something was happening. There was no doubt about it. But what? Were they being creeped up on?

_I wish Alice was here,___Edward could hear Jasper whisper in his mind. He had wished so too. He was beginning to worry about his mind-reading talent being as effective on Elves as it was on humans.

"I wish so too." He had whispered back. It would have been inaudible to an ordinary group of people but this group was much more than ordinary. They were a mean fighting pack, ready to charge at any Orcs.

Edward suddenly crouched. Bella noticed the change in her partner and she did the same, ready to fight or flight as soon as he gave the command.

He had not growled. That was a good sign.

"Hide." He mouthed so softly but it was loud enough for all to hear. As they had already pre-planned, Jasper, Edward and Bella faded conveniently into the shadows of the forest. An effortless jump was all it took for them to reach the lower branches of Mirkwood's towering trees, leaving the original 3 explorers alone.

"Who goes there?" A voice called out. A golden blonde male emerged.

_Interesting,_ Ruby noted. _They used to be much more discreet than this. Scouts must have fallen out of favour with the Elves. _

Seth shuffled awhile in his pocket and retrieved the very same brooch that Prince Legolas had given him as a mark of recognition that the bearer should come to no harm at all costs.

"The symbol of the Prince!" The approacher exclaimed as he recognized it. He bowed to it slightly, yet everyone could tell his eyes were still full of suspicion.

"The acquaintance of the Prince..." He said, "But what brings you to Mirkwood?" He pressed. It was discomforting to know that his hand was strategically placed rather near to his dagger's scabbard. Apparently the signet of their Prince was not evidence enough that they mean no harm.

What on earth had happened in Mirkwood while they were away? Were there deflectors among the Elves now?

"If it isn't obvious enough, we come to visit Mirkwood once again." Ruby said, thinking the guy a total fool. Had it not been on account of their previous warm welcome, she would have highly considered swinging an arm and conveniently hitting this Elf as if he were a baseball. How far away then, would he land?

The thought that she could even try to hit him so hard he flew all the way back to the main city made her smile. The Elf seemed to soften a little at the sight of Ruby's smile, ignorant of the evil thought that lay behind it.

Adam stepped forward to put everyone at ease.

"Our sincere apologies for what may seem to be an intrusion into Mirkwood, but we would definitely love to see King Thranduil as well as Prince Legolas **again**." he placed more emphasis on the last word, hoping the Elf would get it.

"Would you help us pass the message?" He asked, hopeful that there was a more peaceful way out of this. He certain did not blame the Elf for being so cautious and wary of them, yet he could not say the same for his other two companions, and the other 3 who were definitely paying attention to the situation, ready to strike any time.

Adam wished he could hear Edward, so he could at least find out the cause behind all that distrust that was radiating off the Elf.

The Elf stood uncomfortably weighing his options.

"I will pass the message." He finally relented. "But I ask that you wait here. We will get you the necessary to make your trip to the city." He said, and very quickly, he turned around and ran.

"They are quite fast." Jasper said, as he nimbly landed on the ground again.

"Only if compared to humans." Bella said. It was true that they were rather fast, but it was still a speed that was incomparable to that of a Shape-shifter, or even a Vampire.

_Why did he act the way he did? _Adam thought.

"These are dark times to them. They've already lost too many scouts. Direct confrontations are their best bet now. Apparently, the intellect of Orcs are not exactly a threat. It lies in their numbers." Edward explained coolly.

"I always wished I could read minds like that." Seth said to no one in particular. "Bella." He said, and she looked at him questioningly. "You're lucky he can't read yours." She gave a sweet smile in return.

"They are beautiful. At least from what we can see so far." Edward observed.

"If the Orcs were as ferocious as you said they are, how could anything like that win a fight against them?" Jasper commented.

"You'd be surprised. They are as graceful and agile as they look." Adam explained. "It's like… say… watching Emmett fight a piece of silk." He analysed, but that only served to confuse Jasper even more.

Half-defeated, Adam threw his hands into the air. "You'd see what I mean, soon enough."

(-)

Of course, when the Elf returned, he was shocked to see 3 more companions materialize from the original group he had left behind.

Edward had detected no threat or malice in him, thus there was no need for them to hide up in the trees at all. Besides, mind-reading is much easier when it's done close to the subject.

"I will look for more horses." The Elf offered, as he was about to turn around and run off again.

"We do not need horses to travel, my dear Elf." Adam said. "We will use the 3 you brought to us to carry our supplies."

Unsure, the Elf reluctantly agreed. "But you will slow us down considerably if you travel on foot." The Elf protested in a tone that was as polite as possible.

Seth could not help it but said "Your horses will slow us down considerably if we ride them instead."

Perhaps it was to do with them being in Middle Earth for the 2nd time round already, but the 3 of them felt that there was no need to hide their powers anymore, though of course, the secret about their diet must remain concealed.

If there were any 'legends' of the Cold Ones that were left behind from their first visit, Elves should certainly not just remember their fighting prowess but also recall their lightning speed of movement.

Bella walked towards the Elf to take over the horse's rein from the Elf. He gingerly passed it to her, his face red from blushing. Ruby almost laughed when she heard a hiss escape from Edward's lips. It lasted only for a split second but she caught it loud and clear.

But Edward caught her laugh as well, for it rang loud and clear in her head.

He mouthed Legolas' name at her with a playful face and it took her a certain amount of self-control to not grab random handfuls of dirt to throw it at him.

(-)

They were traveling as fast as the horses could dash, which was considerably quick when the horses had no load to bear. The Elf who accompanied them was more relieved than disturbed at their fast pace.

_These must be the Cold Ones that they spoke about_, he thought, not knowing that Edward could sense every word.

Edward also learnt that he was not able to see the Cold Ones for himself as he was unfortunately away on border duty guarding Mirkwood against intrusion of the Orcs, which, although frequent at that time, were much more randomized.

Knowing that Sauron had been defeated and the Evil power depleting, the Orcs now gather together in larger bands. It was not uncommon to be attacked by over a hundred of them, which was quite a number to handle as the Elves were spread thin over the large areas of Mirkwood.

Driven to a new point in desperation, the bloodthirsty Orcs have now shifted their focus away from breaking through the borders since they have long succeeded, and they are now targeting on innocent villagers, livestocks and their stores of food.

"In short, they are hungry and desperate." Edward finished his review after sifting through the thoughts of the Elf who was guiding them.

The rest listened as they moved forward, wary of their surroundings. Sure they were double their strength now from the original 3, but there was still some vulnerability within their group, mainly Seth and the Elf, whose name, they learnt, was Tandur.

Yet they weren't that worried about Tandur after all. How bad could he perform in a fight, if the Elf-Guards had allowed him to lead a group of strangers back to their city?

The main trouble was that it was hard to communicate to a young and proud Wolf that he was their main liability, yet whenever they moved and tried to surround Seth in a protective circle, it seemed that he was aware and moved more to the outskirts of the traveling team, ever ready for some possible action.

Either by a stroke of good luck or an impeccable sense of timing, but they met up with absolutely no attacks throughout the journey back to the City. Jasper was obviously disappointed with the lack of action until Adam told him about a training ground that they have back at the Palace where the soldiers train themselves in various weaponry ranging from hand-to-hand combat to archery.

Message had long reached the King even before the guests passed the city gates:

The Cold Ones are back.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Revisit

Ruby could still recall when they were greeted the first time by the same King.

It was King Thranduil who stood there with his fatherly smile as they eagerly walked up the steps to reach him.

"My Lord." She curtsied and Bella followed suit. She looked up into the King's eyes to gage his emotions on seeing them again.

The King was genuinely glad. She scrutinized him further. King Thranduil had not physically grown old, but no doubt, he looked extremely tired. Exhaustion and immortality must be a very uncomfortable situation to be stuck in. Ruby was sure that she would never understand it for she had long forgotten how it felt like to be asleep.

But judging by the way some students always slept in class, it must have been a rather enjoyable activity.

(-)

Adam was making introducing their other siblings to King Thranduil when suddenly Ruby felt a pair of eyes on her. A particular pair of eyes that stuck to her like it was willing her to turn around.

She did. And her name escaped from her lips.

"Castril?" She called out.

He smiled back, glad that she remembered him and had even felt his presence. He took a few steps forward, breaking away from the crowd of men who were standing behind their King.

It was rather difficult to control, the joy she felt in her heart to see an old friend again. She threw her arms over his neck and gave him a very tight hug that could have easily suffocated a petite human.

"Look at how you've grown!" she said, as she stepped back and marveled at the changes in her young Elf friend.

Castril looked proud and shy at the same time. He had grown considerably taller though he was already taller than Ruby when they met. The change in his uniform did not go unnoticed either. He was much more well-built now, and filled out his new smart uniform nicely. It was silver, too. Ruby could only guess that it had something to do with a promotion within the ranks of the Elf army.

(-)

It was delightful to catch up with Castril. As they strolled side by side across one of the many fields of the city, he did not fail to remember her fascination with flowers. Ruby decided that it was a misunderstanding that Castril never had to find out. Flowers were always her perfect get-away with Castril when he approaches awkward situations.

But she missed the young and naïve Castril who was always out to please her in every way. Unlike previous times where he would pass her a flower and launch into a massive description of its name, type, where can it be found and other similar flowers that can be found nearby, he had just passed this particular flower to her quietly without bothering to explain much.

Mentally, she dug out her memories like an old tape recorder and rewinded her memories, trying to urgently recall if this silence was because Castril had already explained this flower to her. Back then, she did not pay much attention to Castril when he spoke about it, but recalling it was a simple task for her; it had only been a mere year ago that he did.

_No, he definitely did not tell me anything about this type of flower before, _Ruby thought to herself.

In fact, Castril had gone all weird and quiet that it was quite uncomfortable.

And when he spoke, he shocked her.

"He misses you a lot, you know." He said, eyes focusing on some far distant tree.

"Your departure was very abrupt." He went on to say. "He was angry at first, and then it subsided to sorrow and regret."

"Regret?" She asked.

"Yes. Regret that he did not ask you to stay."

Ruby was quite surprised. "But he did. I was the one who did not stay. I could not stay." She explained.

"That's not the way Legolas thinks." Castril offered his point of view. "He feels that he did not do enough to convince you. He puts the eventual blame on himself."

He took a step away from her and leaned conveniently against a tree trunk. His shoulders were hunched as if in defeat.

"Legolas and I grew up together. He is like a brother to me as much as he is my Prince. I would not like to see him so dejected again." He turned around to face Ruby, and with all sincerity in his voice, he asked, "Will you not leave again?"

Ruby sighed. Was he as upset as she was? She had not regretted leaving him behind, for she would have done it again if time could be reversed. Esme was much more important than compared to an Elf that she had developed some feelings for that she isn't very sure of herself.

"Where is he now?" She asked, quite surprised that she could tolerate until this moment to ask this all-important question that had been burning in her mind ever since she realized that Legolas was nowhere to be found even as the King his subjects met them at the door.

"He had asked not to be disturbed, so the servants were also asked to keep away from him even though news spread of your return." Castril said.

"I will find him." Ruby confidently stated, and she left to hurry off to look for him.

His scent would have been easy to make out. Even if he was not within the City, she could have easily tracked him down. She went back to areas of the palace that she was familiar with, her nose picking up the senses as she travelled.

Anticipation quickened her pace though it wouldn't do to be rude and fly throughout the place just to pursue him.

It was there as strong as if the air purposely left his scent lingering in the air and undisturbed. It was so strong as no wind had blown it, spreading and diluting the smell if freshly cut grass that Legolas always emitted.

Her feet stopped right outside a particular door. One that she could recognize was rather similar to the suite that she was housed in during her previous visit.

The door, however, had more intricate carvings of vines and leaves. It was no doubt the door to a suite that belonged to someone of importance within the Palace.

She stood closer to the door. Could this be the Prince's chamber?

Yes. She could not be wrong, she decided.

This must belong to Legolas and if her senses did not fail her, which they rarely did, then he was inside as well.

She lifted her right hand, balled in a fist, to gently tap on the door with her knuckle. Her mind was still whizzing past the thousands of things she wanted to say when she sees him. How should she start?

Yet at the other end of her consideration were the thousands of things he might ask her first before she could say anything, as well as his first reaction to see her again after a year, which, by Middle Earth's calculation, was close to 4 years.

While still deep in thought, the door had opened.

A pair of blue eyes almost as dark as sapphire stared back at her in surprise. She recognized it as one of the Elves who stood at the main entrance of the Palace and who welcomed their arrival earlier in the day.

Ruby was lucky she had not gone ahead or she would have been tapping her knuckles against the shoulder of the lady who opened the door. Her mind-boggling thoughts were rudely cut short as she realized and managed to stop her hand in time from tapping against the beautiful Elf maiden who opened her door.

Thankfully, the lady did not react to her by screaming. Ruby automatically turned her head to the left, after hearing footsteps running along the corridor towards her.

She stood in a relaxed stance, knowing that it could not possibly be an Orc rushing towards them in the Palace. It was one of the footman.

"Lady Ruby!" He called out, as he panted slightly from catching up. She patiently waited while he recovered his breath, which did not take very longer than mere seconds. He seemed to be equally surprised to the Elf-maiden there, staring back at them.

"Lady Mirlanna." The footman bowed to her respectfully. She gave a slight nod of her head in acknowledgement.

"My apologies for the intrusion, I had lost my way." Ruby lied.

Mirlanna smiled at her in response.

_She's beautiful_, Ruby thought.

"You must be one of the Cold Ones." Lady Mirlanna stated. There was hint of admiration in her tone which made Ruby wonder why. She must let Edward speak to her soon.

Ruby smiled. "Pleased to meet you, my Lady." She said to Mirlanna.

"I've heard so much about you from Legolas." She continued. "Does he know that you are here?" She asked.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "I've not seen him since we've reached." She admitted.

"Legolas has been weird lately." Mirlanna explained. "He had just returned from war and is not in the best of moods."

Ruby noted this fact. _A war?_ She should have guessed. The last she remembered, the Elves had repeatedly made known that they were trying to trace the root of the problem to stop the invading Orcs from destroying their outlying villages. But at the same time, she tried to recall where had she heard the Lady's name before.

Mirlanna? Castril had never mentioned any elf-maiden to her before, much less a name such as Mirlanna.

"My name is Mirlanna." She said, as she put out a hand towards Ruby in an attempt to shake hands.

"But I thought…" Ruby said, but was interrupted.

"Oh, that Elves do not know this way of greeting?" Lady Mirlanna laughed.

"I've heard too much from Legolas and Castril that I know a thing or two about your common way of greeting." She beamed.

Ruby's lips curved upwards as she recalled the incident. So they did remember. It was awkward how when Ruby tried to shake the hands of every Elf they were introduced to, and were met with awkward stares instead as each of them wondered what they are supposed to do with the outstretched hand of the Cold Ones. Had Edward and Alice be there, they would have almost died laughing if it were possible.

"They must have not dared to inform him that you have arrived. I will tell him myself." Mirlanna said, and courteously excused herself.

As she disappeared behind the bend around the corridor, Ruby turned to the Elf who had ran after her earlier.

"Who is Lady Mirlanna?" She asked.

"My Lady, she is a distant relation of the royal family." He replied.

"A betrothed wife to the Prince?" She asked ,already suspecting the answer anyway but she needed some form of confirmation. It was impossible to miss the way the Elf hesitated awhile before he answered. "Yes. In a way."

In the year that she had went back, she had already pondered the possibility of this. Where there are royal families, there exists the very high possibility of matchmaking, betrothals, and arranged marriages.

It would have been weird if Legolas had no partner whom was betrothed to him at a young age.

(-)

Lady Mirlanna hurried down the steps outside the Palace, oblivious to Ruby tracing her movement from one of the windows of the Palace.

Ruby looked up, scanning the general direction that Mirlanna was heading. She would admit that she was disturbed when even Castril did not know where Legolas was and this Lady just promptly left to look for him as if she knew where he would be at.

Mirlanna was right. He was at the archery range. Sure he was blocked by some trees but Ruby could tell that the arrows that was whizzing through the air at the archery target board belonged to Legolas.

She contemplated jumping down from the window and then making a mad dash towards Legolas. She probably could reach him in time, way before Mirlanna even reached.

She leaned forward as if wanting to climb up the window sill but then decided not to. From where she was, she should be able to tell the closeness of their relationship.

Yes, she would stay where she was.

Mirlanna disappeared behind the trees that covered Legolas from her view. Now, the only thing she could see was Legolas' arrows still flying directly on target.

"Damn." She muttered under her breath.

She swiftly turned and flew down the stairs, hoping to get nearer to catch a better glimpse of their interaction.

As she reached the ground level of the castle and was about to spin out through the front door, she was suddenly pulled back.

Someone had caught her arm and Ruby nearly had her breath knocked out of her.

"Bella?" She mouthed in recognition. She no longer had any air capacity left in her lungs to speak.

"Where are you heading?" She asked, calm and relaxed. Bella always was.

"Legolas." She said. Bella knew her well enough that one word was all it took to let her understand the urgency.

Bella told her, "We're at the archery range." She hesitated awhile before adding, "If you would like to join us."

"Later." Ruby said, and resumed her mad dash to the fields.

It was a short encounter with Bella but it would have wasted ample time for her to observe Mirlanna and Legolas.

_Ruby oh Ruby. When did you become such a stalker? _She half-chided herself.

She slowed down as she got nearer. It wouldn't be appropriate to get there so fast that she ends up knocking into both of them the way she almost knocked Mirlanna just now.

What a first impression she would have made.

She was burning with curiousity alright, and it was smoldering her with each step she took that brought her nearer to them. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.

She peered from behind a far-off tree. Legolas was still continuing with his arrows.

With undeniable familiarity, he raised an arm to withdraw an arrow from the quiver on his back and expertly positioned it against his bow. The arrow was released with a loud twang and a haunting humming sound as it whizzed through the air and landed right on target, beside several other arrows that he had shot earlier.

Ruby gave a quiet sigh as the arrow slammed against its target. The expectation of seeing the arrow land directly on target always took her breath away. It was an irony how the archer did the same to her as well.

She shifted her gaze on Lady Mirlanna instead, who was standing nearby quietly.

Had they talked yet? She couldn't tell. It was almost as if Legolas was alone and there was no one beside him. She couldn't have told him. Legolas would have some sort of reaction to know that the Cold Ones are back.

How could he remain here, so relaxed and composed? Had he not missed her at all when she's gone?

She felt like she needed support, so she leaned against a tree. Her right hand was clutched to her chest, as she thought to herself, _so vampires do have a heart. _

She looked back at them as she heard Mirlanna say, "So… shall we make our way back?"

Legolas remained impassive, still concentrating on using up all the arrows in his quiver.

Mirlanna continued standing there as if she was used to being ignored by him. To Ruby, it was a good sign. No one would have acted like this to someone that they like, or so she thought.

"Very well." Mirlanna declared, and she turned away from him. Ruby made sure to hide behind the tree again though she was already standing far away enough that it was quite impossible for them to notice her.

She watched from behind the trees as Lady Mirlanna made her way back. As she was almost reaching the stairs that led to the Palace, Castril greeted and accompanied her for the rest of the way.

She turned her attention back to Legolas who was still seriously concentrating on his archery with an intense frown on his perfect face.

_Great_, she thought, _now I'm a stalker._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Bella could not hide her worry from Edward as she approached the others. Edward had already noticed the look on her face; it was precisely because he couldn't read her mind that he spent more effort in deciphering her body language. As such, there was rarely anything that escaped him.

"I don't like what I've heard about Legolas and this Lady Mirlanna." Bella confessed, as she noticed the way Edward had looked at her with concern on his face.

"She's much stronger than you think she is." Edward said, relieved that it was over this little matter. The Ruby he knew was much stronger than that.

"In this area, you give her too much credit than she deserves." Bella replied. It was Ruby's first Vampire crush after all. She didn't think it would evaporate that quick. Besides, due to their acute senses, Vampires have a knack for being able to identify their life partner pretty quick.

She looked at Edward. Right in front of her was a great example.

Edward smiled at his dearest wife as he caught her staring. "Is it time for our hourly kiss again?" He teased, as he put his arms around her waist and pulled her close for a quick kiss.

And momentarily, Bella forgot her worry.

(-)

Still hiding behind the trunk, Ruby had an intense debate with herself. Should she just show up like that? Or should she mop around until dinner time. Besides, Bella had already told her where the rest were right now. It was more than enough hint that she was offering a way to pass the time until they will meet with Legolas officially during dinner.

She cast a look back at Legolas, who had paused now and was scrutinizing his bow for any wear and tear.

_He would come for dinner, right? _She thought.

"Dinner!" She gasped, as she looked down at her attire.

It thankfully wasn't her best clothes, and at that moment, it wasn't her cleanest either. Track pants and a tank-top. There was no way Rosella could pull this off at a dinner where she knew they were going to dress to the nines.

Not exactly a grand affair but it was grand enough that the females who attended had to wear skirts that reached all the way to their ankles.

She was not going to be caught 'dead' in sweatpants.

Recalling that she had packed a good deal of clothes earlier on, she decided to rush back to pick something to wear. Even a sundress would be more decent than her current apparel.

She had to run a long way around the field the same way that she had gotten there. There was no way she could run across Legolas' private archery range without being seen, though it would have been a much faster way.

Just as she decided that she would take the risk and run near to the edge without having to re-route a long way off, she hadn't noticed an inconspicuous piece of twig on the floor.

As it snapped under her light footsteps, she could already visualize Legolas' head turning to face her direction.

Frozen in her tracks, she slowly turned to look at him. There was no way he could have missed the forced smile on her face. In fact, you could liken it to her just bearing her teeth.

She could imagine herself looking just like Emmett when Rosalie catches him fiddling with her precious car. The deer caught in headlights look, albeit with a smile.

She would laugh at Emmett a lot whenever he was caught red-handed. Now for once, she has experienced it for herself.

_There's got to be a word to describe this,_ she thought bitterly, as the word appeared straight in her head. _Kharma. _

She could have easily made a run for it, but why should she? Not like she had done anything wrong. They did not murder an Elf, nor set fire to the Palace. Even Seth, in his wolf form, had not peed in the King's study by mistake.

In fact, they were revered as heroes, excellent warriors who proved themselves in battle. She had saved Legolas, she recalled with joy. She had saved their Prince.

Their Prince, who at the moment, was looking quite ungrateful and very bitter.

She hated the way a frown had appeared on his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked. His tone was formal and authoritative. She was quite taken aback.

"Just passing by." She smoothly lied. The words naturally rolled off her tongue as instinct to cover up her actions took over.

His eyes narrowed further.

"I heard your arrows." She went on to explain, trying to cover up her actions. "I thought it was the archery range here so I came to take a look."

"A mere 4 years and you forgot where the archery range is?" He scorned.

Anger was rising in her chest as she felt the need to rise up and meet the challenge in his sarcasm.

"I'm afraid I do not know Mirkwood as well as you do, **Prince** Legolas." She seethed, emphasizing his title.

"Of course you wouldn't. You never gave Mirkwood the chance." He replied with a quieter tone. One could tell it was filled with hurt.

Ruby heard it loud and clear. The sadness in his voice was unmistakable. She started to remember on her last night at the Palace when he came to look for her. When he asked her to stay and pleaded with her to wait for him.

Absent-mindedly, she held her hand to her chest again as she felt the dull ache returning. She lowered her head.

The wind blew and Ruby smelt a whiff of flowery scent. It smelt oddly familiar but she was too lazy to trace the source of the smell. She then heard a small voice asking, "Ruby, are you alright?"

She looked at the origin of the voice and found herself staring at the same pair of blue eyes that met hers when she was about to knock.

"I'm fine." She answered, quickly dropping her hands and straightening her posture.

"But you look pale." Mirlanna insisted.

Castril let out a small laugh. "She's always pale, Mirlanna. You will come to know in time."

Ruby appreciated the way Castril was beginning to know the correct timing to materialize out of nowhere. He didn't seem to mind as much anymore, that Legolas and her were together alone.

"She would like to look for her siblings at the archery range. Take her there. I would like to resume my training **alone**." Legolas said in an unfriendly tone.

The 3 of the turned around to look at him with the same thought in their minds; Did he have to sound so hostile?

"It's alright." Ruby said aloud for all present to hear. "I know my way around."

And she stormed off, not allowing any trace of embarrassment to reflect in her movement.

(-)

She had found all of them at the archery range easily enough. She could have even made the way there all by herself, and could have even found the way there blindfolded.

Despite the frustration at the utterly rude way she was treated, a part of her knew that Legolas couldn't be blamed totally. She played her part and induced this behaviour from him.

Who was she to just disappear like that after he had indirectly confessed to her and pleaded with her to wait for his return?

Well, she did return. She did return to him and coincidentally, it turned out to be great timing too, from what she had heard about him having recently returned from the War of the Ring.

Her main motive to return to Middle Earth was to see him again. But Ruby figured that since she was here, she may as well apologise to him for leaving so abruptly back then, although arguably, Legolas had not been deprived of anything, other than the dinner that they lied about hunting that very fateful day.

But apology was, right now, far away at the back of her head as the anger in her tugged on the strings of annoyance. A great analogy especially since she found herself to be fiercely tugging back the bowstrings with her sharp eye on target.

There was absolutely no way she was going to miss. Her lips quivered very slightly at the thought of Legolas' face on the target board that was almost 300 feet away.

Her body froze like stone and she stopped breathing. Just as she was about to release it, she felt a gust of wind and firm strong grip on her wrist.

The arrow fell to the floor as whoever it was held the bow up from her before she similarly dropped it in surprise.

"I promised Alice I will take care of you." Jasper whispered hoarsely. "And I'm not about to let anything happen to you. Especially here."

Ruby could only look at him, dumbfounded. She had not figured out what he meant though she noticed that Jasper was now looking at Edward, who was nodding his head knowingly.

"You could have hurt someone." Bella chastised, like the elder sister that she was. "Didn't you realize how far back you were pulling the strings? It would have flown way beyond target!"

"Edward didn't have to say much. I could spot that murderous look on your face a thousand miles away." Jasper continued.

"You know what? I'm beginning to think that Edward is not the only Cullen who can read minds anymore." Ruby pouted. Bella and Edward smiled with relief whereas Jasper, who was standing closest to Ruby, ruffled her hair in affection and she returned him with a friendly hug.

(-)

Legolas was extremely perturbed by the way he treated her earlier. Ruby did not deserve that. Surely his father, a King of the Silvan Elves, had raised him better than to treat a lady like that, moreover a guest of the Kingdom.

He decided to make his way over to the main archery field instead of holing himself up like that. What kind of impression would a Prince project if he had left the guests alone.

It had been bad enough, as he had realized earlier, that he was not there to greet them when they arrived. He must definitely question the servants later on why he was not informed.

Just as the field came into view, he noted the familiar faces. Most of the best archers in the army were present. No doubt, Adam's legendary skill with the weapon, in fact, all weapons, had influenced most of them to turn up today at their usual practice arena.

He had not failed to notice the breathtakingly beautiful and pale Cold Ones. The weather was rather overcast today but his vision was still able to capture the slightest of all glitter there were on their skins.

_They must really have an obsession with the skin ointment,_ he thought. Indeed, he was rather surprised when he returned to see that within Mirkwood, there were still many shops who were selling these ointments to make one glow and sparkle.

He then stopped dead in his tracks.

_Who is that?_ His mind instinctively reacted defensively.

Jasper's eyes shot up to look at him, his facial expression taking a 180degree turn.

Edward hummed, in a tone that was inaudible to the Elves, "Your friend is here. And boy does he sound pissed."

"Legolas!" Adam greeted him like an old friend, with both arms extended.

Legolas smiled and walk towards Adam, genuinely pleased to see him though he would admit that he still felt like throwing his trusted daggers at the Cold One who was standing a tad too close to Ruby.

Formal introductions were made as the Elves respectfully waited as the little archery lesson was put on hold. Their tutor was proudly introducing his 3 family members to the Prince.

Adam had been showing off his skills with archery while Edward, Bella and Ruby fooled around at a corner. The Cullens had no inkling Adam had any talent in this field. But then again, it was not unusual that vampires discover how they are exceptionally gifted at certain activities – a benefit that came with having super senses.

Bella and Edward took turns to shake Prince Legolas' hands but as Jasper stepped forward, a quick frown on Edward's face and a soft gasp emitted by Jasper and Adam alerted Ruby.

She blinked. Once. Twice. And looked at their faces again. A mask of feigned politeness had taken over though it may not be noticeable by the typical inattentive observer.

Bella must have sensed it too for she reached forward to hold Edward's hand. He looked down and whispered something into her ear that even Ruby could hardly catch despite straining her ears.

It should not have been something grim, for Bella smiled back at him.

She returned her attention back to the 3. They have already launched into a discussion. If there were anything else weird about their reaction earlier, it was definitely not going to return anytime soon.

She turned her eyes onto the crowd.

Attention was waning as the other Elves realized that their informal lesson was probably not going to be continued anytime soon. Some Elves had already left and were making their way back to the Palace.

Ruby shuddered, hoping it was not because they were going to start preparing those elaborate Welcome dinners that very night. Memory of the previous dinner of appreciation was still fresh in her mind.

She then noticed a figure from afar, running towards her. Ruby's eyes widened in recognition as her eyes focused on the little figure in the distance.

"Claemar?" She called out.

"My Lady!" She returned the greeting. If she was ever surprised that Ruby could recognize her from such a distance, she did not show it.

She was clearly more excited at Ruby's arrival more than anything. Ruby briefly wondered if it had anything to do with Adam too. Well, there was more eye candy this round. She was sure Bella wouldn't mind letting an Elf maiden cast a few glances at her husband; they aren't half as rude as humans who gawk. Maybe it had to do with them being a very good-looking Race already, so Edward's beauty, or rather, his bad-boy style, wasn't that much of hype among them.

She nodded her head intermittently as if in attention, but truth was she was barely listening to Claemar as she rattled on. Claemar was a nice girl, but sometimes she talked too much and included very unnecessary details. Worst of all, the wisps of conversation that Ruby had picked up from her included some new grooming tips and tricks she had picked up and no doubt was going to try on her.

_Did Claemar attend to Mirlanna as well?_ Ruby wondered to herself.

Ruby looked at Castril and Lady Mirlanna who were noticeably enjoying each other's company. They make up a good-looking couple.

Lady Mirlanna was naturally as blessed in the looks factor as with all the Elf maidens but she stood out remarkably due to her poise and elegance, though there were a couple of times Ruby noticed how Mirlanna threw her head back and guffawed.

It isn't exactly a pretty sight for a lady of her status to act like that but Castril didn't seem to mind one bit. In fact, he looked rather pleased with himself for making the lady laugh like that.

_To each his own,_ Ruby thought wryly.

At this thought, she could not help but throw a glance again at Legolas. She happened to meet his eyes as he had been looking at her. As if nothing happened, he calmly shifted his direction to face Adam and Jasper better.

Bella touched her shoulder and she automatically turned to look at her.

"Shall we?" Bella asked.

"Huh?" Ruby said.

Bella pointed at Claemar who seemed to be waiting for her. Claemar signaled for them to walk as Bella prodded Ruby forward with a hand on her waist.

"Oh!" Ruby realized, quite flustered at her own inattention. Wasn't she keeping an ear on Claemar's mindless chatter?

"We have to get ready for dinner." Bella summarized for her.

Ruby sighed and Bella smiled, understanding the youngest Cullen's dislike for dressing up, especially those of the elaborate kind. She herself had once been Alice's guinea pig, but Alice then found out that it was much more fun to share tips and mentor another when Ruby came into the picture.

As a result, both of them found great delight in fussing over Ruby, who was understanding and patient enough to tolerate the boring procedure. However, Ruby still found it an absolute waste that after every such session, the make-up was washed down the drain since it was not feasible to wear it anywhere.

Alice had long gone past the stage of being contented with just plain and simple make-up. Her current craze included looks that, as she claimed, was "Halloween-inspired." In other words, she was trying to make a vampire look more like one, though right now she was still trying to perfect her Frankenstein make-up.

There was no way anyone could make her leave home in that make-up. It would have probably scared off the entire male population at Forks, and needless to say, it was absurd to wear that kind of make-up when the Cullens go out to hunt. She could sadistically think of how the animals would probably laugh to their deaths as she drained their blood.

She hated that thought as she aimlessly scanned her environment, trying to see if there was anything else to pay attention to. She would have to speak to Carlisle about replacement for animal blood.

There was always a vampire that was trying to outdo themselves. The first breakthrough by Carlisle was to probably wean off human blood, though 'wean' was not the appropriate word to use. Carlisle had never tasted human blood in his life, except for the very rare occasion of converting Edward, Esme, Rosalie and finally, Emmett.

Even then Ruby didn't really think he drank their blood, but strictly injected his venom in to change them. She never asked but she was quite confident that Carlisle was as self-disciplined as that.

Carlisle had often spoken to Adam and Ruby to find out more about their non-existent urge for human blood. Other than the natural evolution theory, Ruby had once voiced out to him that she suspected it was the place that they were turned.

They had gained their immortality in crowded cities where the scent of human blood was overpowering. It may resulted in a backlash of sorts, thus instilling in them the ability to ignore the scent.

Ruby had an upper-hand though. For if blood was comparable to the way humans crave for delicious foods when they are hungry, then she was relatively safe from committing any sort of error.

Adam was a chef who naturally had a zest towards food. Ruby could well recall how back when she was a human, she could eat the same foods all the time.

As they followed behind Claemar, Ruby leaned over, "Any idea how to get rid of her?" She whispered to Bella discreetly.

"I'd try." She said.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

"Don't worry about us." Bella reassured Claemar. "We have 2 pairs of hands now. We could help each other prepare for the dinner."

Claemar eyed Ruby suspiciously, seriously doubting Ruby's ability to help Bella in any way.

"You'd just have to come around again later to escort us to the Dining Hall." Bella repeated.

Ruby was considering whether to use aggressiveness instead if that was what it takes for Claemar to give up and leave them alone. She waited awhile more seeing as to how Bella seemed to be succeeding in her peaceful tactic instead.

"As you wish, Lady Bella." Claemar finally said. "But if you ever need my help…", she added.

"We'd call for you." Bella interrupted. "Thank you, Claemar. Now I'm sure you'd have some preparation to do yourself." Bella said, her tone full of mischief. Claemar did not seem to understand what she was hinting at.

"After all," she continued, "Adam had spoken of you a few times after his return. I'm sure he would be expecting to speak to you during dinner later." Bella lied like an expert.

It was all it took for Claemar to disappear quickly after turning beetroot red with embarrassment. Ruby was more relaxed after she left. Now at least there was a weak point of Claemar's that she could exploit if necessary.

"At least now, I wouldn't have to sit through all that horrid baths and make-up again." She sighed with relief.

Bella looked at her with mild surprise, "I thought you quite liked the baths here."

"I do." Ruby replied. "It's just that I didn't look forward to having a nice bath, and then with Claemar knocking persistently at the door, asking me to step out so that I can get dressed in time for dinner!"

Bella laughed and somehow Ruby could not help but compare it to Lady Mirlanna's. She would have greatly preferred Bella's chuckle, though Lady Mirlanna's laughter sounded infectious.

(-)

With great displeasure, Ruby found that they still had to use the dresses provided by the Palace attendants. They very considerately brought a huge array for the ladies to pick and choose, and Ruby vowed that she will never ever waste her time packing for Middle Earth again. The dresses she brought seemed to pale in comparison to the splendid ones that the Elves tailored.

"I don't know if it has anything with you being here but the dresses looked way better than I remembered them to be." Ruby declared, as she lifted one closer to examine.

"You probably never paid much attention to them." Bella stated. Ruby hesitated before having to agree how Claemar was always the one who decided what she would wear.

"I guess knee-length dresses would be a little too informal," Ruby said as she pushed her originally chosen dinner dress back into her packed luggage. She was already considering leaving it here for Claemar to see if the Elf would have anything more useful to do with the clothes.

It would probably be donated away by Alice when they get home anyway. The family was that loaded, and nobody would find it in their right minds to bother Esme to wash and dry the laundry, not to mention having to iron it and pack it back into the correct Cullen's wardrobe.

Indeed, Alice would have made a great deal of money if she had opened a thrift store though the overall net profit would still be in the red. Ruby seriously considered opening one when the time came for her to graduate from Forks.

There was no need for her to attend University, again.

Shaking away her thoughts and focusing back on her current situation, Ruby closed both her eyes as Bella deftly applied eye shadow on her, yet another advantage of being a Vampire. The cold and smooth skin was the most ideal skin type for applying make-up. It stayed on for the longest time, especially since they do not break out in perspiration nor is oily skin ever a problem for a vampire.

Bella didn't take long either to make herself up. She hardly needed any colours on her to enhance her already stunning face.

Just as she placed the hairbrush back on the dressing table, there was a rap on the door.

"That's our cue to go." Bella said to Ruby, who was standing around swishing her skirt in exasperation. "Things are much more bearable when you're around," Ruby confessed, "but long flowing skirts are still as annoying!"

(-)

The dinner was not as grand as the one they had years ago, back at the open field. It probably was related to the timing of their unforeseen arrival. But to Ruby, simple was good, though it was not as simple either - the Kingdom was still rejoicing at the return of their Prince so the general atmosphere was cheerful and uplifting… up until she sat down and realized her partners for the evening.

"Seth," She called. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"Eating?" He answered, innocently. "You could explain to them that I was irritating the appetite out of you so you could pass me all your food without being so uptight about it." He smiled at his own ingenuity.

"You would spoil the rest of my very nice evening." She said as a mock frown appeared on her face.

"If anyone could, it would be him." Seth retorted, and nodded in Legolas' direction.

"Don't start." She warned.

The dinner was halfway-through. King Thranduil had taken a liking to Jasper – something that even Ruby could predict. Jasper could help a person feel at ease, a quality that many leaders do not possess. Thranduil was quick to recognize it and award him with due respect. Adam had taken on a more laidback role this time round, not needing to fulfill his public-relations duty to speak with the King and keep him occupied while Seth made a fool out of himself and Ruby kept quiet as per usual. In fact, Adam was seated right next to the other side of Ruby, and both him and Seth were passing food around in a not-so-discreet manner.

Ruby was bored and willing time to pass. She sat with her hands tucked under her lap, a polite smile stagnant on her face, in case anyone was looking. In Mirkwood, looking bored was the quickest way to get someone to speak to you.

"Could you pass me the pepper?" Seth turned to her and said, with his mouth full.

"Ok!" Adam enthusiastically replied, which meant that he was up to no good. Ruby's eyes widened slightly as she tried to react, but Adam was too fast for her.

He threw the bottle of pepper at Seth, and as it flew over her head, it dispensed a cloud of pepper all over.

Aware that it would have resulted in unnecessary attention to their table by those who witnessed it, Ruby coughed and spluttered. To some extent, her choking was genuine. Her airway was irritated as she was still breathing normally when it happened.

Still coughing, she quickly stood up and left to go to the bathroom. She could leave the part about killing Adam later. For now, she could hear Edward and Bella reprimanding him while Seth was rejoicing at perfect big brother Adam being chastised.

She moved hurriedly as she brushed off as much pepper as she could. It was all over her hair, shoulders and the dress.

With her attention solely on brushing pepper off herself, she rounded a corner around one of the gigantic pillars within the Palace and head-butted someone else who walking in the opposite direction.

To steady her balance, the victim whom she assaulted had held a hand to the back of her waist. In turn, she did the same by holding on to his upper arms.

She gasped with surprise and accidentally inhaled, resulting in her first sneeze in half a decade. Weirdly, at the back of her mind, she made a mental note to inform Carlisle about this.

"Legolas?" As soon as the name escaped her lips, she sneezed a second time.

He stifled a laugh at the way she looked so surprised and dazed after each sneeze.

"What happened?" he asked. Ruby rolled her eyes. "Adam and Seth, again." She explained as she looked down at the specks of pepper that still remained, this time, careful to inhale and exhale slowly to not stir up any more irritation to her nose.

Instinctively, she looked back up at him again, feeling the warmth radiating from him as she was engulfed in his almost complete hug with his hand still on her small waist.

His eyes were as mesmerizing as she remembered them to be. It was exactly the way she had recalled about them in her many daydreams. Realising that she had long regained her balance and that both of them were in an absolutely awkward position, she dropped her hands from his arm and made an attempt to step away from him.

She was shocked when instead of doing the same, he tightened his arms around her so that she was gently tugged forward again towards him, with her head promptly landing upon his shoulder.

"Stay." He whispered very softly as he realized she was attempting to move away from him again.

It took awhile but she finally calmed down from her stiff stance and relaxed her body against his. His hand came up behind her and he gently started rubbing her back as if to further soothe her.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to refresh the memory of his scent.

Suddenly, her eyes shot open as the same scent made her recall her encounter with Lady Mirlanna this afternoon.

She was disgusted with herself as she not-so-gently pushed Legolas away and took a big step back to place more distance between them, while ignoring the shocked look on his face.

_You are engaged, _she thought, as she stared at him. She found that she could not voice it out because it may come out like a croak. She turned and left him standing alone along the dark corridor that was only lit up by flickering beacons along the wall.

A gust of wind swept along the corridor from the open windows but this time Ruby was ready for it. She stopped her breathing in the nick of time as she strutted back to the Dining Hall, forgetting her original intention of going to the ladies room.

Even as she was walking, the dull ache returned. She raised a hand to her left chest and pushed against it viciously, willing it to stop.

(-)

"Are you alright?" Bella asked with concern.

Ruby nodded her head without going into further details. She could feel Edward's eyes boring into her head in an attempt to read her thoughts.

_Stop it! _Ruby screamed, knowing full well that Edward was the only one who could hear it. She sensed it as Edward turned to look away, trying not to pry further though guessing that Bella would drill him about it later over what he had managed to get.

Legolas returned not long after. He bypassed their table without looking and returned to his seat at the main table beside King Thranduil, who was still eagerly engaged in conversation with Jasper.

"I am certain that Legolas would be able to bring you and your siblings around over the next few days." He said confidently, while putting a hand on Legolas shoulders.

"King Thranduil, we would be glad to be of help!" Jasper gave a slight bow to the King. He looked up and noticed Legolas was miles away, deep in thought.

Jasper intuitively glanced at his youngest sister. If he had ever thought that Alice needed much protection, Ruby was two-fold. She was young, quiet, and worst of all too trustworthy of humans, and now Elves too.

He had always disagreed with the casual human acquaintances she befriended at Forks High. It had almost seemed that she enjoyed the company of humans over her own immortal family. Or was living with the Cullens reminding her of how she was a potential threat, ready to morph into a savage beast if deprived of blood?

Although Adam was no different, but at least he confided his problems in Edward or him, not like they were huge problems. What kind of problem could a High School student have?

He courteously excused himself from the King and the Prince, and made his way towards Ruby.

"Shall I walk you back?" He asked her, as he appeared from behind her.

She looked at Jasper in surprise. Her eyes flickered to where Legolas was. Their eyes met again, for the second time that day.

Did Legolas tell anything to Jasper?

"It's alright. I'd walk with her." Adam said. He could sense her mood right now too.

Jasper pulled the chair back slightly, making it more convenient for Ruby to stand up from the table.

Just as Adam was about to stand up from his seat too, Edward leaned forward and whispered something into his ear.

Ruby could not make anything of it but she stared at Edward just to let him know that she was aware of their whisperings.

"Ok." Adam acknowledged aloud.

"Shall we, my Lady?" He asked and offered his arm to her. She guardedly accepted his offer by sliding her arm through his.

They were a few steps away when Ruby turned around to ask, "Bella, are you coming along?"

Bella shook her head. "I'd be with Edward," she admitted guiltily.

She gave a smile of understanding and turned to leave with Adam.

Her siblings had it good. Every one of them. They were in leave with a Vampire from the beginning. The only tricky situation was when Edward fell for Bella who was still a human. But that was easily solved though till today she had not really understood Edward's rationale of keeping Bella as a human for as long as possible.

Was he not afraid that he would lose her forever when she ages and dies? But from what she heard about the human Bella, she probably did not even need to grow old before she passes on.

Ruby had resolved years ago that if she ever had to fall for anyone, it would definitely have to be a Vampire too. It would save her from a lot of hassle of decisions and heartache. And tonight, she had also decided that she would not let an Elf change her original intent.

(-)

Adam was being an absolute irritant. He was silent all the way back as if afraid of saying something wrong. But this only served to make Ruby all the more uncomfortable. Adam was her one sibling among all the others who knew her better, well, of course, except for Edward. But that was because Edward 'cheated' unintentionally.

Jasper could also sense and influence her moods so he does not count either. Adam understood her perfectly, as he was blessed to do so. And to alter the mood of his chosen subject, he does so with sincerity and earnestness that came from the bottom of his heart.

She opened the door to her designated bedroom in the palace instead of the suite that she had been allocated before. It may have been a downgrade of sorts but she did not mind a single bit; not like she used the bed much anyway.

Besides, this would mean that Claemar was nowhere near her, she hope. It was amazing how an Elf-maiden was lovable and irritable at the same time. She looked left and right as Adam opened the door. Yes, she did hope that Claemar did not get a room that was anywhere near to hers, now that her suite did not come with separate bedrooms.

Her acute senses have already told her that her bedroom was empty. No sign of living beings, much less an inquisitive Elf-maiden. Ruby half-pitied her, having remembered how Bella had tricked her to get her to leave them alone to prepare.

As she stepped through the doors and wanted to turn around to thank her brother, he was gone.

If not for his lingering scent in the air, it was as if he never accompanied her back at all. Her mouth fell slightly open in surprise. What on Middle Earth was he trying to do? She thought to herself.

She shook her head and turned around to move further into the room, her hand deftly reaching out to close the door behind her.

In a split second, she was ready to strike, posture leaning slightly forward and all set to pounce on the sudden intruder. She had felt a presence that she originally ignored, thinking it was one of the palace attendants who was rushing along the corridor, but for an attendant rushing along, this one came slightly too close to her guest room.

Indeed, said attendant had even put a foot through the door to stop it from closing.

"Ruby?" The person called out. It was a familiar voice that did not belong to any of her siblings. Not even the ever-annoying Seth.

"Legolas? What are you doing here?" She asked, genuinely shocked as Legolas emerged from behind the door looking quite embarrassed. She half-wondered where her mind had been vacationing these days; she seemed to have been caught off guard a few times too many.

_He ought to be, fancy a Prince having to sneak around his own Palace like that, _she thought wryly.

"We need to talk." Legolas said. With her vampire mask on, she stared at him impassively. The air of intimidation about her worked. He was starting to get nervous, or so she thought. At least he did appear to be; he was rocking to and fro, from his toes to his heels.

The thought of being alone in the same room as him was unthinkable. Though they did not crave for Elfen blood, but there was point taking any chances. She had found herself swallowing the secretions in her mouth one too many times whenever one of the Elf-maidens blushed upon close contact with Adam.

It may along the crowded walk-way of the town where they accidentally brush up against the other common-folk, if that is what they were called.

_No_, she decided. She would not take the chance. What would Thranduil had down if she laid a finger on his Crown Prince? Though with a bit of wit and a bit of luck, they would most probably still be able to escape from Mirkwood unharmed, she would never be able to live down the rest of her immortal life knowing that she had harmed someone whom she had a huge crush on.

There, she admitted it.

As the realization dawned on her, so did the intention to deny.

"I'm tired, Legolas. We travelled a lot today. I need rest." She lied through her teeth. Mentally, she broke out in maniacal laughter

_A vampire, tired? (insane laughter)_

Legolas refused to budge from the door.

A true palace attendance then chose at this exact moment to scamper past the talking couple. Noticing that it was the Prince and their guest, he timidly bowed, hardly slowing down his speed, before continuing on his way.

"It would not be wise for us to be seen together in the middle of the night." Ruby said. She retreated half a step backwards, hoping that Legolas would do the same so that she could finally shut the door in his face.

"Why?" he asked. She was finally beginning to suspect if the Prince was not as intelligent as she made him out to be.

"Why?" She repeated, incredulously. "Because if the Lady hears of this, she would throw a fit. I'm helping you here!"

His head tilted to a side as if he could not make out what she was trying to say.

Ruby felt the need to take deep breaths here. Sure, the men sometimes do not get IT, but this was going overboard here.

"Legolas," She began, after taking multiple deep breaths to calm herself down. "I know that you are betrothed to Mirlanna. Did you think me stupid?"

Weird how nobody in the Cullen household could get on her nerves and make her as worked up as she is now.

"I would never have thought of you this way." He responded very quickly. He may not have understood what she was trying to get at earlier, but he could easily tell that he was treading on a very thin line now.

"Mirlanna and I grew up together. The betrothal was not of our choice. My Father had never spoke of it again after Mother set sailed and Mirlanna's family have also left very recently."

She would not buy it. It did not take much for anyone to figure that betrothals are usually not up to the choices of the two involved individuals. It was decided with political and economical considerations involved, especially since it was of a royal linage that is in question. Mirlanna was chosen because of some detrimental reason that Ruby did not want to know because it would tell her that other then Kind, what she lacked.

"Still, I'm not going to put you and I in a difficult predicament." She went on, "Let's not be seen alone together or tongues will start wagging." Her jaw was stubbornly set.

"Does this include Castril?" Legolas asked.

Ruby looked back, surprised. "What?" She inquired.

"Does this mean that you will not be seen alone with Castril either." He patiently specified.

Ruby realized the trick question. There was no way she was going to say yes right now, and then ever be seen alone again with Castril. Yes, she could lie right now, but such an opportune occurrence of meeting Castril along her way to wherever could very well happen.

"No." She stated simply. There was no hiding of that fact. She was going to be seen with Castril, and since it would happen quite frequently, she may as well admit to it.

"He's not betrothed to anyone." She answered curtly.

She did not miss that flash of anger mixed with disappointment that passed is facial expressions. Legolas finally gave up, nodding slowly in acknowledgement.

"You are right." He said.

He turned around to leave. Ruby was supposed to feel relieved but no, she felt that she should be damned to hell and burn for hurting him like this.

The pain rose again in her chest as Legolas walked away and she heard his bare whisper, "I wish I was not born a Prince."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

It was an uneasy night for her to pass.

She laid in bed, knowing that she'd never go to sleep. Had she been back at Forks, she would have broken everything in her room and then feel guilty about it, though Esme would gladly have everything replaced since it put her interior designing talents to good use. A hole in the wall, or a punch through the door was a common sight. Sometimes, it could even happen purely by accident, as Ruby recalled at how sorry Adam was when he had accidentally swung an arm too high and damaged the door hinge.

But here she was, in reality, stuck in Mirkwood. None of the things in her room belonged to her, save for the luggage in her room. She would have threw it out the window as far away as she could, though she was certain it would still land somewhere that someone would come across.

Its out-of-this-world looks would have given it away immediately and the Elves would identify it as theirs. Being a litterbug is not exactly a great impression to leave on others, especially the tree-hugging Elves.

It was troubling. Legolas was getting on her nerves and yet making her feel guilty at the same time. Multiple times, she had decided to look for him, hoping that Mirlanna wasn't there this time. Maybe she had really gone into his room just to place something inside. He was obviously already shooting away arrows on the archery target while she was there this afternoon.

But then she had also sat back down on the bed again, thinking that she should not disturb his sleep and wait until tomorrow.

But would he be able to go to bed? She knew she wouldn't be able to; even if she could fall asleep.

She stood up once more, with determination this time, hastily wrapping a robe around her nightie before leaving her room.

No one else had passed along the corridors after he left, thus his scent was still very strong.

She followed it until she came back to the exact same room that she had budged into earlier that day.

All her resolve melted as she lingered at the doorway, afraid to knock on the door. He might be asleep. Or he might be still too angry to speak with her.

She leaned on the wall that was beside his door, and exhaled. Her breath came out in a rush. It sounded abit too loud in the dead silence of the night.

She straightened herself immediately as she heard the heavy door beside her creak open. She took a split second to decide to stay on. The cloak of darkness could conceal her identity for as long as she needed if she decides to run off later.

"Ruby?" Legolas' voice called out.

_Great, run, Ruby, run all you can_, she thought to herself in the darkness.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, with no hint of anger in his voice.

She stepped out into the light that was emitting from his room and managed a feeble smile at Legolas. He still looked as gorgeous as ever though he was dressed for bed. A loose and typical green top that was baring too much of his well-toned chest.

_Get a grip,_ she told herself, as she pulled her eyes away from his body to look up into his curious eyes. He was patiently waiting for a reply to his question.

Finally having found her voice, she said, "I came to apologise about just now."

"It was stupid and childish of me." She admitted. "I just came over to have a look to see if you are alright." She found it impossible to look straight back at him as she spoke. He was staring at her very intensely that it was intimidating and making her uncomfortable.

"Well…" She hesitated slightly. "You look ok to me, maybe I'd see you tomorrow at breakfast?" She asked, beating a hasty retreat and not intending to stay on for his answer.

Apparently she had not moved fast enough. He held onto her arm just as she was turning around to leave.

"Ruby, wait."

She barely struggled, not wanting to hurt the Prince by shrugging his hand off, something she would have done without second thought if it had been any of her siblings.

"Mirlanna and I… We grew up together." He explained.

"And…?" She asked. What he said did not make sense.

"Our feelings are that of siblings. We do not see each other that way."

"It is only a matter of time, Legolas." She tried to unhook his firm grasp around her upper arm. "Please, let's just leave it at that and not make things anymore difficult for me."

There were sounds of shuffling feet along the corridors and they both looked up.

Legolas quickly pulled her into the room and shut the heavy door as quietly as he could.

The sounds got louder and stopped right outside the door. Someone had obviously heard them talking earlier.

Having been suddenly hauled into the room, Ruby found herself in a compromising position, squashed between the wall and the Prince.

His heart was pounding, probably a result of having almost been caught red-handed by the night patrol. What would the guards have said if they find their Prince with another lady guest and not their supposed Crown Princess?

The sounds moved on a little while later. Legolas and Ruby remained where they were throughout it all.

As Legolas felt the sound of footsteps fading away behind the corridor, he looked down and realized Ruby was quite uncomfortably pushed up against the wall, and was apparently quite nervous about it too, as he could tell from her shifty eyes that was looking at anything else in the room just to avoid looking directly at him.

He smiled. It was very seldom to see Ruby so uptight like that.

Ruby's eyes shot up, noticing his grin. "Are you making fun of me?" She asked in disbelief.

She was not at all prepared for what happened next as his face swopped down and his lips came down on hers.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

She fidgeted in protest but stopped when she realized that he pinned her harder against the wall whenever she squirmed.

Slowly, she succumbed. Her arms slowly moved up to reach around his neck pulling him even closer than he already was. A small part of her mind was nagging away at the fact that as much as he sounded like he felt nothing for Mirlanna, she was her fiancé. An entire kingdom thought that way.

But there was an evil part of her that repeatedly shouted at her conscious to calm down. They were behind a door. No one knew they were together right now and no one has to know.

He finally broke away, lips red from the kiss and looking breathless.

Her head was still against the wall, eyes closed and looking every bit as uncomfortable as she was when he was still pinning himself against her.

"Ruby?" Legolas whispered tenderly to her, hoping that she would open her eyes to look at him as a form of acknowledgement to their first kiss. He wanted to see how she felt about it and the only way to do so would be to look at her eyes rather than hear it from her.

At that exact moment, Ruby was quite the opposite of Legolas. Whereas his face was flushed at their passionate kiss, she was still looking quite pale. He was taking quick deep breaths from the lack of air, whereas she had totally stopped breathing at all.

The heat from his body was no longer comforting and bearable as it had been earlier. It was starting to get way too hot for her to tolerate.

Back at Forks, she would not have winced or shrink away from the touch of her human friends. But never would she allow such close physical proximity even with the help of thick jackets, sweaters and whatnot. The blissfully ignorant humans would never imagine a body as cold as steel is disguised by all the layers of clothes.

She find herself needing to step away from him before she will inhale again. Pulling her hands back nearer to herself from around his neck, she gently pushed him so that he had to step away from her.

He must have taken it wrongly because although he did step backwards, he held onto her hands to lead her further into his chamber.

She did not allow herself to be guided in blindly and stopped midway.

Legolas, sensing her resistance, turned around to look at her without letting go of her hand.

She pulled her hand out of his. She would very much like to stay, but she needed to hunt tonight, if it meant releasing some tension from being caught up in such a situation.

If only she had paid more attention whenever Bella recounted her stories of how she and Edward was when they first started out together. But it was never too late. She knew Bella would be there soon. Ruby could trust on Edward to let her know.

"Legolas." Her voice was quite hoarse. It was weird how she croaked his name out like it was a forbidden word to speak. "I need some fresh air."

"I'd walk with you." He closed the small distance between them and wrapped his arm around her waist as if to walk out.

"No." She whirled around to face him and put her hands on his chest, signaling him to stay. "Bella will be with me. She's waiting already."

"As you wish." He said to her, but he did not move away from her, choosing to continue staring into her eyes. She was only waiting for him to realize that her eyes have changed their colour to as black and dark as a moonless night. But even if he did notice, he did not mention it. She had not hunted as much as the rest did right before they made their way to Middle Earth. She had simply no appetite.

_Did Bella mention something about Edward constantly dazzling her? _Bella recalled. It was a perfect way to describe what Legolas was doing to her right now.

She wanted to just pull herself away from him and leave, but find herself giving him a parting hug instead, right before she slipped through the door and disappeared into the darkness of the corridor.

As she sped away to meet Bella, she wondered how will she face Legolas and Mirlanna tomorrow.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

"Are you alright?" Bella said, as they were swiftly travelled through the darkness as if they were moving terribly slowly and the terrain was as bright as day.

"Do I look alright?" Ruby teased.

Bella heaved a sigh of relief.

"It should be safe here." Bella said shortly after, as they stopped in the middle of nowhere, which was their exact intention.

In Mirkwood, where there were no nearby settlements, it was spiders galore.

Despite having the good habit of not wasting food, they often killed more than what was necessary, especially since they often could not eat in peace.

The killing of a single spider often meant that a large group was somehow attracted by the kill as well.

"This is surprising." Bella remarked. "I am rather certain that they tasted much better than even lions." It was no surprise that Bella came to develop the same diet preference that her husband had for the same animal.

"Maybe Edward should join us soon." Ruby replied her without looking up from her food.

Not being very hungry, Bella turned from her food to eye Ruby more carefully.

"Do you want to talk about what happened just now?" Bella gently asked.

"It's not the talking part that I need." Ruby answered her, throwing the carcass of the spider done onto the ground. She never accorded the creepy-crawlies as much respect as the animals that died by her hand back at home – these very spiders hunted and killed Elves.

"It's the…" She paused, trying to think of the word.

"Restraint?" Bella offered.

Ruby nodded. "You can call it that."

Bella turned to face Ruby properly now. "Did you think Legolas isn't someone that you should fall in love with?"

Ruby nodded.

"Yet you're finding yourself falling irrevocably in love with him?"

Ruby just continued staring at Bella, making her older sibling lift a brow. "What?" Bella asked, looking down at herself. She hoped she hadn't dirtied her attire. It would have been quite an ordeal explaining the copious amounts of spider blood on her nightgown to the palace attendants who would have to wash it.

"The mental protection part I've already witnessed and heard about it." Ruby said. "But since when did you suddenly acquire Edward's mindreading skills?"

"That's beside the point my little sister, though you've always been quite a difficult one to read." Bella said.

"Am I?"

"By my standards, yes."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "But I wish I could block of Edward's evil prying."

"You could, but then you'd have to keep with me all the time then." Bella offered.

Bella asked, "But why are you thinking of restraining yourself from him? Why not find out what he thinks?"

"He has his own obligations to Mirkwood. A duty and responsibility that we may never be able to comprehend in our monarchy-less world. Those that have an existing monarchy do not hold as much decision-making power as this Realm's. "

"There is the Volturi, you know." Bella added in.

"Yea, but there's 3 of them. I'm pretty sure that if Aro would like to take a break or something, the other 2 could stand in for him quite easily."

"King Thranduil is still here."

Ruby kicked a random rock on the ground. It whistled through the air and disappeared behind the trees. "Not for long. Legolas has spoken of his father's desire to sail to the West and see to reunite with his beloved wife again."

Bella placed a supportive arm on Ruby's shoulder. "But what does Legolas have to say? What is his ultimate decision?"

"I don't know." Ruby shrugged.

"Edward could always help out." Bella suggested.

"No, I don't want Edward's help in any of this." Bella quickly replied. "For lack of a better word, I don't want to… cheat. He would tell me if he wanted me to know anything."

Bella sighed at her stubbornness. "In any case, the offer stands."

She stepped towards her youngest sibling and gave her a big hug. "We're always here for you if you need us."

"I appreciate that." Ruby patted her back while still being embraced. She would not deny that the Cullens sometimes spoil her terribly. Being the youngest had its detriments as well, since physically, even Renesme was slowly catching up with her in terms of their appearance and how it reflects their age.

She was sometimes afraid that it would lead her becoming a totally spoilt brat. Or was she one already?

(-)

She knew that he was not going to let her go that easily when she heard the knock.

Who else could it be? When she had just returned from the hunt with Bella at the break of dawn, she had already dropped by the suite that Adam and Seth were sharing, telling them that the she and Bella would not be joining the night's hunt since they have already had their fill.

It has got to be Legolas.

Hello Awkardness!

She had originally intended to take her time to answer the door. But her feet would not let her do so. They seemingly have a life of their own and brought her quickly towards the door.

She opened it and was hit by a dazzling ray of light. Of course, how could she forget that the door to her suite was facing East. Sunlight streamed in like a spotlight onto a waiting Legolas.

"Good morning, my Lady." He greeted courteously. There. He was doing it again. Dazzling her.

She let out a smile. As much as she would like to restrain herself, she could not deny that she felt infinitely happier when she sees him.

Legolas took that as a welcoming sign, he stepped forward, gently pushing her back into her room, conveniently kicking the door close as he stepped in after her.

Ruby was quite taken aback because she had not figured out what he wanted at first. She allowed herself to be guided by him as he gently pushed her into the room.

As she heard the sound of the door closing, she sucked in a quick breath to protest but Legolas would have none of it.

She found herself slowly cornered against the wall again as she moved backwards while Legolas kept edging closer and closer until he finally leaned down to kiss her lips more slowly this time.

It would have been considered lying if she denied enjoying herself. But there was still a greater part of her that was still rationale.

She had two options laid out in front of her right now; she could push him away and make it clear, or go on being wrong since they have already started their little rendezvous.

It was weird, then, that suddenly the image of Carlisle and Esme flashed across her mind.

She froze and her eyes opened in shock. This is not the way that her adoptive parents would have wanted her to behave, philandering with the partner of another!

He stopped too, realizing her uneasiness.

"Ruby?" He whispered to her softly as he watched her staring away as if looking at something in the distance, with an unmistakable frown on her forehead.

She blinked once. Twice. And then her eyes focused on him.

There was a rustle of wind, and in the blink of an eye, she disappeared, leaving him staring at an empty wall. He punched the wall in slight annoyance. Was she playing her mind games with him again?

(-)

Breakfast had already started. It was understandable how no one waited for her but it seemed quite weird that they did not wait for their own Prince.

Ruby quietly and gracefully sat down, trying to merge among her own siblings and wolf buddy.

Edward smiled his trademark crooked smile which never fails to make Bella stop breathing, but makes Ruby's blood boil.

"You know I'm not afraid of heights." Edward said to Ruby. Everyone looked at the both of them.

"Yea, I know. But flying you near perimeters of the ozone layer is the closest and deadliest threat I can come up with." Ruby replied him while staring at the food and already halfway through with strategizing how to sneak the food to Seth in a more low-key fashion.

The chair beside her moved as it was dragged slightly against the floor. "I'm finished with the rest." Seth declared, as he sat down beside her and joined her in studying the food.

"That amount is hardly an appetizer." He announced.

Ruby quickly switched their plates and pretended to move her jaws up and down as if she was chewing on something.

She felt a slight pat on her back, and Bella spoke "Don't worry. I've got you covered." She said, and signaled her head towards her inquisitive husband.

"Not fair." Edward muttered, and finally turned his attention on something else. "But honestly, where is Legolas?"

Everyone looked around. The prince was nowhere in sight. He was not even beside the King, who was busy entertaining messengers who had just arrived at dawn from the White City, wherever that was.

"Ruby." Jasper started. She turned around to pay more attention to what he had to say. Jasper was often the most observant and serious one among all of them, other than their parents, of course.

"Maybe there is no need for you to keep a distance from him all the time." He reasoned. Ruby made a mental note to kill Edward, for not everyone know that Legolas was engaged and that she intended to steer away from him.

Jasper cast his eyes somewhere in the distance and Ruby followed it. She found herself staring at Mirlanna and Castril who were obviously enjoying each other's company so much that everyone else in the room seemed non-existent to them.

It was a stark contrast, now that she recall. It was her that Castril used to follow around all the time. He was mindful of her every step, attentive to every word she said, and would jump into his long explanations of Middle Earth whenever she had anything to ask about.

But now it was different. It was Mirlanna whom he paid so much attention to right now.

She may not have realized this instantly because she was too preoccupied with being glad to return to this humble city where the occupants are warm and welcoming to them, and in order to hunt, they did not have to travel as far as they need to, compared to Forks. She would love to bring Esme to Middle Earth one day for a visit.

"Perhaps, Castril and Mirlanna are already together." He remarked.

"I don't want to waste my time investing on a doomed relationship." Ruby insisted.

"Waste your time? But you're an immortal!" Seth argued, amidst mouthful of breakfast.

"Yea, but so are they." She argued back. "No king would let their only son get together with someone who does not assure a line of descendants."

"Now, now, Ruby. You are starting to sound like Rosalie." Bella reprimanded. "You are just generalizing. The king himself is an immortal. He may not think that way."

"What does Legolas think?" Adam asked, but he was putting that question to Edward.

"That's it. I'm full." Ruby said as she stood up. Whatever it was between her and Legolas should be settled between just the both of them. Concerned as she knows they are, there should be a line drawn between being pesky and being worried.

"But you just got here!" Seth said. It was almost inaudible with all that food stuck in his mouth.

"It's okay. Ruby's going on her mini-date." Edward said without shifting his gaze. He had already sensed someone who was desperately looking for his sister.

True enough, Legolas appeared at their table. "Walk with me?" He asked. She nodded at him, but before she left, she turned her attention back to everyone else sitting at the table.

It must run in the family. They were all excellent actors, pretending that it was the most natural thing in the world that this random Elf comes up to her and requests for her company.

"Um.. I… oh, never mind." She gave up trying to excuse herself from the table. So caught up in their act that they would have ignored her easily enough, though she was very certain that they were keeping an eye and ear out to her reaction.

"Let's go." She said to Legolas, a little too loud for comfort. It was her way of asking the rest to shut up and not to read too much into it.

Legolas offered his arm like the gentleman that he was, and Ruby hesitantly took it.

They made their way out of the dining hall.

"Aren't you hungry?" She asked, eyes still looking down on her feet. It had been a while since they had some time to themselves like this.

"I have already eaten before I saw you this morning." He replied her.

She nodded, understanding the reason for his suddenly burst of energy at her room earlier. Mr Pretty Boy Elf was fed and well-rested and decided to launch into his little kissing rampage just now.

They were walking a little too quickly that they soon found themselves stepping out onto the grass field that was located beside the castle.

"Where are we going?" She finally asked when they were halfway through the field.

He just pointed further down without saying a word. Ruby recognized it as the very same place that she saw the Prince training alone.

_It must be some sort of his personal outdoor sanctum, _she thought.

She was right, Legolas stopped walking when they reached the little clearing.

The wooden board that he was practicing on the day before was still there at the very same spot, though Legolas had already carefully kept away all the arrows.

She was still staring at it when she realized that Legolas had stopped walking. Automatically, she turned around to face him.

He sighed loudly, and then turned around to face her too. She tilted her head to the side, confused at his reaction.

Legolas smiled at her reaction. The reaction reminded him of that of an animal's.

"Ruby." He called, as he took both her hands in his. He stared straight into her brown eyes.

"Tell me, exactly what are you thinking?" He asked.

She peered back at him. Was this a trick question?

"About what?" she asked.

"About your thoughts. On us." He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, courtesy of the convenient gust of wind that passed through. His touch was burning hot again, or was she just imagining too much?

"Legolas…" She pushed him gently away and freed her hands from his gripe. "It's more complicated than you think it is."

She looked around her. They were standing the shades of the old and huge trees that were lovingly sheltering them. It was weird that other than horses, Middle Earth's Mother Nature had seemed to take a liking to the Cold Ones. Haven't the trees witnessed how they slaughtered the spiders and feasted on their blood like the monsters that they were? Weren't they horrified?

"You have your responsibilities to fulfill. You have to answer to your people." Ruby said, as she kicked random twigs near to her feet.

"I know how proud your Race is. Not the kind that has anything to do with arrogance, but, proud of who you all are, your ways of live, your land. Most of all, they are proud of the leadership that saw them through the tough times."

Legolas stood still from where he was, waiting for her to continue since he was unable to decipher her hidden meaning.

"Your father would never allow you to be with anyone else less than an Elf."

"And what, may I ask, made you think that your Kind is less than an Elf?" He asked.

She hesitated to answer him.

"It is not alarming for Elves to merge together with other Races. Even the King of Gondor has taken an Elfen wife!" He disputed. "If you are worried about lineage, the half-elven offsprings have the right to choose to remain as an immortal Elf, or to die as a mortal in Middle Earth."

"That is not comforting to know, Legolas. I am not worried about the non-existent offsprings. What would become of you? Would you linger here in Middle Earth as well after my death? And what makes you think that I will give up my family to stay here with you in Middle Earth?"

It finally hit him. It all boiled down to a word – Sacrifice. None of them was wiling to go to the other's world. When all he had in his mind was to get her to accept him and be together, she had already gone on and thought about the consequences of their union.

He chided himself. To think that he was a Prince, a future leader of the people, and from the looks of things, he would be their leader very soon once Thranduil decides to set sail. Was he not taught from a young age that a good leader needs foresight? Where then, had all his senses been to?

Ruby could sense his inner struggle. She allowed him a few more minutes to settle his conflicting thoughts. It was evident that what she said had just dawned on him.

When she felt he was ready to hear more, she continued, "I will not deny that you make up a huge part of the reason why I chose to return." _Of course, there was the part about the spider meals as well._ "But, I just wanted to make it clear to you. I just wanted some sort of finale to whatever it was that started between us, good or bad."

With that said, she turned around and continued back to the castle. The image of Legolas' hurt face was still in her mind. She would have liked to run to him, wrap her arms around him if it would make him feel better, but she knew that her resolve must stay strong. It would only worsen things if she tried to comfort him in anyway.

Let him feel offended or rejected, if that was what it takes for him to realize how impossible it was for the both of them to be together.

The stabbing pain in her heart started again. As she walked, she gripped her knuckles in retaliation to the pain, comforting herself that it was not as painful as if she had let things advanced further between she and Legolas.

_So it wasn't just about sacrificing whose world to be with the other_, she thought grimly.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

She trudged back through one of the many side doors to the castle. This place would require a lot of defensive strategy if it was attacked one day, she thought, and then she smirked at how she could even possess such thoughts when she was feeling so rotten just a few seconds ago.

Ruby was so engrossed in her own world that she almost knocked into someone who was about to walk out.

"My lady!" Castril greeted, his tone full of surprise.

"I'm sorry, Castril. Am a little out of sorts this morning." She explained, as she side-stepped to let him past.

But he was not alone.

Mirlanna was following closely behind him.

"Good morning, Lady Mirlanna." She greeted her politely.

"Oh just call me Mirlanna!" Mirlanna replied her cheerfully, while patting Ruby's knuckles that were still clenched tightly.

If it were not for the fact that she was Legolas' betrothed, whether or not they took a liking to each other, she would have got on pretty well with Mirlanna. She seemed much less annoying than Claemar.

"I was just bringing Mirlanna around. She has not visited us for a long time so we will be taking a walk in town. Care to join us?" Castril offered.

Ruby was starting to slide into her vampire senses again and was becoming more aware of her environment. She had heard footsteps behind her and they were approaching fast.

"Why not?" She faked a smile that not even Castril could see through.

"Great!" Mirlanna said excitedly, and comfortably hooked an arm through Ruby's as if they were old friends. "Let's go!"

Ruby had anticipated some sort of reaction from Mirlanna, but even if she had felt any discomfort from touching Ruby's cold hard skin, she did not show any disgust. It was something that Ruby was thankful for in this world.

Apparently they were more receptive to odd things. But of course they were! Who would have even believed in the existence of Elves!

As they turned to leave, the person she had earlier sensed had also arrived.

Of course, not knowing what had went on earlier, Castril extended the same invite to the Prince, who looked only at Ruby, expecting some sort of answer.

She stared back at him coolly as if their previous encounter did not happen.

He finally shifted his eyes to look at Castril, and shook his head.

"Alright then, we shall be on our way." Castril answered him with an eyebrow raised. You could tell that he was trying to throw hints at the Prince in the hopes that he would let him in on what was going on.

"But I would like to have a word with Ruby." Legolas said, just as they were about to step out.

Mirlanna further confirmed what Edward had told all of them earlier during breakfast. Unlike a betrothed who ought to be jealous and suspicious of a fiancé paying more attention than he should to another lady, she let go of Ruby's arm and said to her, "Here you go. Now, join us as soon as you can when you are done!" With a smile and a wave, Castril and Mirlanna were off.

When the two left, it was as if the sunshine left with them. The door closed behind them and the hallway suddenly turned dark and quiet.

"I just have one more question, Ruby." He said very quietly. The way he said her name made her uneasy. He had never seemed more serious than he was right now.

"Do you love me?" He barely whispered, but Ruby's sharp sense caught every word of it. .

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. "No!" She replied without hesitation.

Legolas looked astonished by her answer.

"I…. It's not love, Legolas. This," she struggled to phrase it as neutrally as possible, "attraction between us, I will admit it is mutual but to call it love? No!"

He recovered slightly. Yes, it was overdone to call it love. The lady was right. How brazen it was of him!

"This attraction," He repeated the same term that Ruby had used to describe their relationship, "between us. Do you not feel that we should give it a chance?"

"Should we?" She threw the question back at him again.

"You run away from me at every opportunity that I get to bring this up to you. Before I left, you would not stay and wait when I asked you to. And now that you are finally back, you continue to run away from me."

Ruby could not miss the hint of accusation in his tone. He was obviously trying to pick a fight.

She took a step closer to him and controlled her urge to hiss– a natural defense reaction to threatening situations. Had it been Emmett who was the antagoniser, she would have launched straight for his throat.

She took a breath to speak. "I came back because I missed Middle Earth." She said while staring him directly in his eye.

But she turned to look away. "Though I would admit you are a part of the reason."

She continued, "I guess I needed to come back and ascertain that you were still alive and well – that the trip did not kill you. Castril had explained the importance of it to me before we left."

"So it is guilt that made you return?" Legolas prompted.

"Guilt?"

"You were guilty for not waiting. For not staying to await my return. You had hoped it did not affect or hinder my survival during the trip. And so you returned to take a look and ease your burden of guilt."

Ruby stared at Legolas, her eyes travelling up and down. It was a stare that was not filled with longing nor desire like it had been before. It was an assessment - a sizing up of an opponent. Would he be able to survive if she so much as wring his neck?

Obviously, the only thing the pretty blonde Prince was caught up in had been her continuous rejection of moving their relationship to the next stage.

Somewhere above her, she thought she heard something. But that was not significant enough for her to let her concentration drift away from this intense conversation.

"Have you not considered the consequence, Legolas?" She asked, prepared to lay it bare in front of him if that was what it takes for him to understand the whole picture. Relationships were never about 2 persons only. Esme and Carlisle was a fine example. They not only had each other, they had a wonderful family. But that was only because everyone around them accepted for who they really are. Vampires. Vegetarian or not, they were bloodsuckers.

"What if it worked out? Would you leave Mirkwood?" She asked. "For me? Would you leave your kingdom behind for me?"

He did not respond.

_Guess that finally hit home_, she thought bitterly.

"I would not need to consider at all. I can tell you right now that I would never leave my family to stay on in Middle Earth. I would never give up my family to pursue anything else." It took quite an amount of self-control for her to phrase the words nicely instead of spitting it out vehemently.

Esme and Carlisle had taught her better than that. She would remain cordial and civilized.

"I would not demand that you leave Mirkwood. I would not take the King's only son away from him. I would not leave the Elves here without a leader when King Thranduil decides to leave. You call this a chance, Legolas. I call it a risk, because your kingdom and my family cannot be without one of us."

She turned and started up the stairs quickly, but paused, with a hand on the railing.

She looked back at Legolas. Yes, she is now certain that she had been successful in injecting some amount of reality into him. It was reflected in his shocked face which was staring blankly at the floor.

She is on her way to hell for hurting him, so she may as well go all out. "I'm sorry if I did anything that made you misconstrue my return as if it's all because of you."

She faced the stairs again, took a deep breath, and strutted up the steps arrogantly.

Inside her mind, she was shouting at herself, _Liar! Liar! Liar!_

But one thing she did not lie about, she was not prepared, never prepared, to ditch her family for anything else. Even if it meant sacrificing a potential romance.

At the top of the steps, she came face to face with basically everyone who came with her to Middle Earth. Edward stood right in front of the crowd with his arms crossed with a crooked smile on his face. "Liar." He muttered under his breath. Softly enough for her to hear, but not yet loud enough for Legolas to catch - that is, if the Prince was still standing where he was where she left him.

"I'm sorry, kid." Bella said, as she pushed Edward gently aside to get closer to Ruby, giving her a quick hug to show her support.

Ruby felt mentally exhausted. "When are we going home?" She asked, sounding like a small kid who was tired out after a day of play at the amusement park.

"That's true. Let's not overstay our welcome since the king has already overheard your conversation earlier." Edward added. "Although I must say, he was quite pleased at your outright rejection of his son. He thinks you've hit the nail at all the right spots."

"That's comforting." Ruby added, and pretended to ignore Bella staring daggers at her husband. She was not too curious about the content of the mental conversation going on between the two. Bella had improved tremendously in letting specific thoughts reach her mind-reader husband.

She looked around at the others, trying to make out their reaction. Seth stood around uncomfortably with an arm scratching the back of his head. Ruby knew he always did that when he felt awkward.

Just then Adam came up from behind her and enveloped her in a loving hug.

"Whoa." She let out, shocked at the fierce hug her closest kin was giving.

"I'm so proud of you, Ruby." Adam whispered into her ear. Jasper smiled without showing his teeth, and nodded his head in agreement.

"Touchy, Adam. You're touchy." She escaped from his embrace by ducking under his arms very quickly and stuck her tongue out at him

"Oh!" She gasped.

"What?" Almost everyone around her asked in unison, except Edward, of course.

"He's still there. I can hear him." Edward told her.

She nodded her head, perfectly understanding what he was referring to, and gracefully jumped out of a nearby window, landing on the ground outside with a neat "thud" sound.

Had it been any other normal family, they would have been horrified at the fact that she had just leaped off the third storey in apparent suicide.

The rush of wind against her ears sounded again as she sped towards Castril and Mirlanna. The concealing of their speed no longer required. She briefly wondered if letting them know the Cold One's choice of diet would even evoke any kind of reaction from this calm and peaceful species.

They were surprised at first, of course, but gradually did not seem particularly impressed by their speed or their sharp senses, though the bit about Edward's mind-reading and Bella's shield need not be revealed to them.

It was always good to maintain some amount of privacy.

(-)

"I'm sorry I'm late!" she said. Out of habit, she faked a pant, letting her multitasking brain keep a small timer going on. She should stop the need to breathe so heavily in about 53 more seconds.

She conveniently looked away as Castril and Mirlanna turned red in the face and quickly let go of their hands.

Apparently, it had slipped their mind about their invitation to her earlier to join them. Or had she been moving too quick and silently again?

Ruby knew that her façade that was carefully cultivated out of habit to fit into the human world was slipping fast. There was dull ache in her chest again, this time it was aching for the rest of the family that was back at Forks.

She knew that this return trip back to Forks would probably mean that she would never come back.

Whatever emotional knot that left with her previously was all sorted out.

It was not exactly untangled. It felt more like someone had forcefully pulled at the fabric until the knots were too tight. And then the knots were cut off with the severed ends reattached. It was an incomplete feel but at least it provided a conclusion for her problem; that Legolas, however seemingly perfect, was not worth risking her heart for.

An immortal life meant that mistakes you make would stick with you for the rest of forever.

"I guess I am not missed." Ruby teased them to lighten the mood. It was getting more and more awkward by the second. Surprisingly, it was possible for their faces to turn a deeper crimson. "I shall be off then." She cheerfully said so that the young couple did not misinterpret it. She was certainly not offended by their behaviour. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Their lovey-dovey hand-holding provided the perfect chance for her to mumble a lame excuse and return to the palace while thinking to herself that she might, for curiousity's sake, take a peek to see if Legolas was still around, knowing that just by standing outside the door would be sufficient for her to sense whether he was still there.

She brushed off their half-hearted plea to stay and continue the tour around the place and made her way back, only to hesitate right at the door.

It was a castle door, no doubt. It was thick and heavy. She had to strain her ears slightly and focus her attention.

There were loud and clumsy movements that could be heard from way beyond the door, but those could belong to anyone.

As the door slowly creaked open, she jumped back just in time to act as if she had just reached the door and was about to open it.

"Seth!" She called out sharply as he came into view.

He looked at her with a quizzical look.

"What on earth are you doing here?" She unreasonably demanded.

"I should be asking you the same. Didn't you go off to look for Castril and Mirlanna?"

"Lovebirds." She explained as she shook her head slightly while hoping that her one-word explanation says it all. Luckily, it did. Seth left it at that and did not question further as he made his way out to while away some time. It was easy to have fun at Mirkwood.

Like the vampires who had already started losing their carefully honed skills of disguise, he had similarly found it easier to transform as and when he pleases. In fact, it was probably the one trait that impressed the Elves more than the Vampires'.

Her lips quivered slightly at the thought as a smile fought hard to form on her face. She could not deny how comfortable it was to be here. Back at Forks, they could only drop their defenses when they were at home. But here, everywhere was home. Everyone was family. Almost.

She was had just shut the door to her room silently behind her and stopped her respiration.

Except for the soft shuffling sounds of motion located outside, there was absolutely no one else in the room.

She dropped her ramrod posture and allowed her shoulders to relax slightly. Not that there was any need for that. There was this weird obligation to ensure that her posture is perfect. They were after all, the guests of the royal household.

For better comfort and mobility, she decided to change out of her frock. It was not exactly easy to move gracefully. Given the choice, she would not hesitate to choose her normal 'modern' clothing which was more suited for the rough conditions and speed at which the vampires travelled by on foot.

She swiftly finished changing within seconds to a random shirt and shorts that she had packed along with her, feeling thankful at the same time that she did.

She would not have even changed her dressing to fit into Mirkwood – a further assurance that she and the Prince were just not meant to be.

Feeling comfortable at last, she walked out of the private bedroom area back into the open living quarters and plopped herself gently onto one of the comfortable lounging chairs.

The velvety fabric was soft and gentle to touch. It was slightly chilly during night times, and she could imagine that it would have been very comfortable for a warm-blooded person or Elf to relax on such a material when that happens.

She propped both her feet up onto the other end of the furniture while staring at the ceiling for some much needed alone time. It was easier to stay alone when they were back at Forks. Though the room she was in is much bigger than the one she had back home, but it also seemed to amplify her loneliness when she was alone.

She stared at her toes and wriggled them mindlessly, laughing to herself as she did so. It was an action that annoyed Bella and Alice to no end, with Rosaline never failing to reprimand her for being so unladylike. Their response to this particular action of hers tickled her everytime she thought of it.

She took a deep breath and shifted her eyes to the ceiling above and noticed for the first time that it was painted a light green in colour - as with most of the walls of the palace that was covered in earthly shades.

And then she noticed a sound. It was very soft, but she heard it clearly enough. It was very certainly bouncing off the ceilings and running back at her.

She tilted her head to the side. Sniffing the air now would not help behind closed doors and without any wind in your favour.

She let it go, thinking that it may be someone else who might be passing by. She shut her eyes to soak in the darkness behind her lids, but this only made her senses more acute towards sounds.

Not having much of a choice, she curiously paid attention to the same footsteps she had heard along the corridor. It was nearing her door now.

Her eyes opened. _Legolas._

How could she not have known earlier from the way the person walked?

(-)

In a flash she was at the door. The warmth radiating from within was more than enough to confirm that he was indeed standing behind it, hesitating.

She opened the door, and met with a very shocked looking pair of blue eyes.

"I could hear you from a mile away." She explained to him patiently.

He gave a slight smile, seemingly glad at her non-hostile reaction to see him.

But it did not last for long.

"So what are you doing here?" She asked.

It was then that he finally observed she was not dressed properly as she was earlier.

"Are you going back?" he asked, alarmed.

She traced his vision and looked down at her clothes. "Oh, this?" She pulled her shirt to further emphasize.

"Nah, I just feel more comfortable dressed like that. Besides, I don't have to step out till dinnertime, right?" She said.

_Dinnertime_, she shrugged. _My most hated affair of the day._

Lunch was weird because it seemed like everyone in the Palace had their lunches at different hours of the day. According to her watch, some of the guards have it as early as 11am, whereas the others have theirs at almost 3 in the afternoon.

"Am I allowed to enter? Or shall we stay here along the corridor for a while more?" Legolas said, breaking her thoughts about lunch.

"Sorry!" She apologized quickly and stepped aside allowing him to enter.

He brushed past her and she held onto the edge of the door, pondering whether or not to keep the door closed.

The kind of scandals that they would ignite within the Palace. She was quite certain that such a rumour would spread through the kingdom like wildfire. It was a refreshing piece of news compared to the mundane ones involving Orc attacks.

Legolas walked over to the chair and settled upon it comfortably. She traced his movements with her eyes. There was no doubt about his body language. It was going to be a long talk.

She decided to close the door anyway. It was probably for the better if this talk escalated to a shouting match between the both of them.

"You are right." He began. His voice was calm, in fact, monotonous. "I was the ignorant one. I've never thought further about all the consequences if we were to come together."

"But I was caught up." He said, as he stood up again and took a step towards her just as she was making her way to join him on the sofa.

"I am young." She raised an eyebrow, so he added, "for an Elf."

"I was, and am still, caught up in the moment." He said, and took another step nearer to her.

Ruby had totally stopped moving, preferring to keep a distance from him. Apparently, he did not intend to do the same.

"Legolas.." She warned, as she found herself having to step backwards as he continued to approach her.

There was no going backwards now that she had backed up against the wall.

He brought a scorching palm to her face and cradled around her face like it was the most fragile thing in the world.

"Why not let us just live," he whispered, blue eyes boring down into her golden ones.

"Leave?" She asked, surprised.

"Yes, for the moment." He completed his earlier sentence.

"Oh! Live." She fumbled and broke off eye contact by casting her eyes downwards at the floor, embarrassed at her mistake. She would have been blushing furiously right now had there been a decent supply of blood in her body.

It was then that his warm lips brushed against her forehead. She closed her eyes savouring the touch of it against her cool skin.

_Edward, I think I know what you meant about enjoying the trip to Hell_, she thought bitterly. If he was anywhere within a mile's radius of her, she was certain he would be able to hear it over the thoughts of all the other Elf's mind chatterings.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

They must have stood embraced and lost track of time.

Finally she lifted her head off his shoulder and tilted her head backwards to look at him "Do you not need to rest?" she asked.

He smiled at her face that was full of wonderment. "I would appreciate that, my Lady." He replied her.

She signaled her hand towards the couch.

He gracefully settled onto it, but pulled her down as well to join him.

Ruby could have easily used her reflexes to deflect the invitation but could not bear to. It was so hard to get a good gripe on herself when she was with him that sometimes the cowardly option of breaking apart seemed an easier decision to make.

Maybe, just maybe, she would take the path that Edward once trod on. Except it was slightly different; Legolas was not as fragile as an ordinary human would have been. _He might have trouble adapting though_, she thought, as one of her hand traced the outline of his ears and she chuckled.

"What is the matter?" Legolas asked. Like a child, she was embraced in his arms while sitting across his lap.

She smiled and shook her head, not seeing the need to explai. She leaned back down on his shoulder again, feeling incredibly warm and comfortable.

Was this how the others felt like with their partners? It was such a blissful feeling that it was no wonder they never got sick of each other.

(-)

Legolas was restless and fidgety all throughout dinner.

They had maintained their dining seats. Ruby, Adam and Seth were no longer the only guests this time, and the newer guests were given the honour of being seated nearer to the Elfen King and his son, much to the displeasure of Legolas that evening.

King Thranduil shook his head. He found the compelling need to have a private talk with his wayward son soon about wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

With fork in mid-air, he paused and looked at Ruby who was playing around with the same morsel of food for most of the evening.

Ruby, of course, felt the sudden gaze of the King on her. With a composed face that did not give away the fact that she was aware, she swiftly speared the same morsel of food and plopped it to her mouth.

Her lips closed down upon the tasteless object. It was food to the Elves but it was nothing but tasteless matter to her. And a rather soft one at that.

Potatoes do not have much of a taste, even for a human.

She carefully chewed it and forced her it down her throat while staring daggers at Edward who was looking at her with a crooked smile. It was lucky that he was seated far enough and out of her leg's reach, or she would have given him a neat kick in the shin.

She dropped the idea almost immediately when the King's attention shifted with Edward starting a new conversation topic – something that the mind-reader must have picked up among Thranduil's fleeting thoughts, for he thought of a lot of things all the time, as rulers usually do, as Edward observed.

She resumed her attention on her food and picked on another morsel. Once she was certain that no one was looking, she would dump it, along with everything else, onto an awaiting plate held out by the ever hungry Seth.

(-)

He was caught up with one of the attendants, who had innocently wanted to highlight an unimportant issue regarding his tailor-made tunic.

"Tell him to take his time." Legolas said, hoping that it would bring across his message clearly that that was the end of the conversation.

The poor attendant mistook that as the Prince being upset by the slight delay and continued stammering explanations that Legolas was not even paying heed to.

He had felt a slight brush across his back, and knew who it was – he was noticing her from the corner of his eyes throughout dinner. He had expertly avoided meeting her eyes, hoping that she was desperate to make eye contact after they had painstakingly peeled themselves away from each other to prepare for dinner.

He found it an absolute nuisance to have to return to his room to take a bath and have a change of clothing just to have a meal, though this particularchore never bothered him before. Why could he not just wear what he had worn during the day?

But, of course, a Prince has got to do what a Prince has got to do, and apparently one of it included looking his best - he had to do something to show that he made an effort to dress presentably for dinner.

Oh the things he would have done in return for a good bath while he was traveling with the Fellowship! He never thought that the mere existence of a female companion would warrant such a change in mindset.

So here he was, occupied with one of the newer stammering attendants who had probably just got transferred to the tailoring department and was tasked with breaking the bad news to the Prince that one of his many clothing would be delayed. He could not help but keep an eye on Ruby's movement all the time while the poor fellow stumbled and stammered over his speech.

He was extremely tempted to snake an arm around her small waist when she is near enough but needless to say, he resisted the strong urge. It would be preposterous for their Prince to put on such a public display of affection without allowing a proper time lapse for the Mirkwood Elves to accept the one whom the Prince has chosen.

"Meet me outside." She whispered soft enough that only he could hear as she quietly walked past him.

The breath of her whisper tickled the back of his neck, making his hair stand on end, but he enjoyed the feeling immensely.

_Now if only he would stop talking and let me get on my way_, Legolas thought bitterly.

(-)

Ruby stepped out onto the patio. It was a cloudy night and the moonlight did not manage to illuminate the place as clearly as it usually does.

But she knew she was not alone in the darkness of the night.

Bella took a few steps towards her sister, both aware of each other's presence. "Edward said…" Bella began, but was cut off by Ruby.

"Yea, I know. I know that he knew. He always knew." Ruby said, rolling her eyes slightly in annoyance.

"You sure you want to do this?" Bella prodded.

"It's do or die, Bella." Ruby explained, her eyes looking far into the distance. "When Edward tried to show you the magnitude of the danger you were in, you didn't run away screaming."

"Because I knew he wouldn't hurt me, no matter what he did." Bella replied confidently. "Because I knew that, beneath that monster he thinks he is, there was a good and kind Edward that loved me."

"But," Bella said, "Legolas is different. He might not take to your confession the same way I had done."

Ruby was quite surprised. She had thought Bella would support her, whatever her decision.

"He might not take to you as I did to Edward. You have to reconsider this carefully." Bella emphasised. "I don't want to see you getting hurt."

"Physically? Or emotionally?" Ruby asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Both!" Bella cried. "What would they do to you if they find out what you were? Charlie and Thranduil are completely different. Charlie would not meddle in our affairs as long as we do not break the law or put up a disappearing act. But what about King Thranduil? He would see us as a threat, one that can potentially destroy his entire kingdom if we desire to. And the King is not a fool, he is not unaware to how Legolas looks at you all the time."

"Bella, relax!" Ruby said.

"How can I?" She exclaimed. Ruby looked around nervously. The conversation was getting abit loud. "You are about to do something that will get yourself in danger! All of us, in danger, including Edward! You should have at least warned us so that we may leave at the slightest notice if anything were to go awry!"

"I would not!" Ruby hissed through her teeth. It was a raw nerve Bella had picked on. "I may be the newest and youngest Cullen to join the family, but I would not risk any of you if I see the situation as such!" Ruby started to pace around. "You're sounding more and more like Rose." She accused Bella.

Bella's jaw dropped when she realized her mistake. Edward had mentioned to her many times of how he had read Ruby's insecurities amidst the strong bonds she had developed with her newly adopted family. How could she have so carelessly accused Ruby of endangering them?

"I'm s.."

"Don't be!" Ruby snapped. She took a few deep breaths and replied her with much more composure. "You are right. Perhaps you can help me pass the word along to the others that they should be ready to leave at short notice if Legolas shows any discomfort towards my confession."

Bella nodded her head in compliance and walked towards Ruby.

The sisters hugged each other tightly and all was forgiven.

Ruby could not bring herself to blame Bella. She sympathized with Bella's worry and concern for the safety of their group, especially Seth's. But most of all, of Edward's, though why Bella even had to worry about Edward was something that Ruby would never understand.

He could run faster than any of them (with the exception of Seth, of course), not that Edward would leave them in the lurch, but speed was an especially powerful offensive advantage. Moreover, it was not as if the Elves or any of the horses in Middle Earth could have caught up with them if they truly intended to outrun them.

They parted ways; Bella back into the dining area, and Ruby continued out into the dark garden. A distance away, she could spot one of the palace attendants lighting up the garden lamps.

(-)

The flames flickered and licked around the wax. Ruby stared at it, transfixed.

"My Lady." A familiar voice greeted her and she smiled and whirled around to face him.

(-)

She ran in front of him, leading the way.

He did not understand the eagerness in her steps as he tried his best to keep up with her.

She was fast - all the Cold Ones were, though he could also sense her limiting her speed so that he could catch up.

"Ruby," he called out to her when he could not take the silence while travelling anymore. "We should stop."

There was no way she could have misheard what he said, but she did not respond. Her body form was transfixed on the darkness that lay ahead of them.

Except for the mild illumination from the full moon that night, there was no other light source to guide them, except for their keen senses.

"Ruby." He slowed down, hoping she would follow suit. "The paths here are treacherous."

She knew what he meant. He was referring to the spiders, for the Orcs would never have dared to camp so near to the main city.

She slowed, but her pace never stopped. He found himself having to follow suit. Clearly knowing the danger, he still felt compelled to prove himself to the opposite sex that he was no coward. A few spiders were not going to discourage him from letting his beloved travel alone in the forest, which would have been much more dangerous – though the fact was clear that if they ever had to flee, she would probably be able to outrun them while he succumbs into a tasty spider snack.

She came to a halt. And sighed. It shocked him, for he himself could never do the same, as he stopped too, but in an extremely breathless.

As she turned around to face him again, he could tell she was being her solemn and serious self.

"Legolas," she closed her eyes as she said. And just when he thought she was not going to continue, she did, "There is something that I have to show you. If we were to really… try to… be together."

He stared back at her, not understanding at all but wanting her to continue.

The very soft thuds on the floor was loud enough for him to hear. He was certain she must have noticed it too. Spiders do not bother about being discreet when they are extremely hungry, and especially when two snacks were so easily within reach.

He got into a ready stance, feet apart and slightly bent at the knees, ready to leap or pounce in defense if he has to.

He sized up the enemy and relaxed a little. He was not too worried for her. 5 mere spiders were nothing compared to the group of Orcs that had attacked them before.

"Don't move." She asked of him, and she leaped into the air.

It was a terrific leap. Even if she had not asked him to, he would have been transfixed.

She landed swiftly on the back of one of the first spiders that broke out from the camouflage of the trees and swiftly brought down the spiders, tearing apart the limbs of some, rendering them handicapped and struggling in pain.

It was a cruel sight to witness, but the spiders did deserve some of it though – Orcs were not necessarily the culprits accountable for the missing Elves that traveled through the forests.

The next scene that greeted him was unimaginable as he watched with shock as she sunk her razor sharp teeth into the spider. Not a single drop of blood was spilt on the ground as he observed the way her throat moved as she swallowed the blood, her eyes not moving from his the whole time.

(-)

She allowed her natural predator instincts to take over – it was easier to show him this way. She knew he was not enticing enough for the hunter instincts in her to lose control and attack him as well.

But it seemed like even the monstrous side of was also equally curious to his response towards her. Did he matter so much to her scary side too?

She took in his every move and every breath - the flicker of terror that flashed across his eyes, and the way his lips moved apart in shock did not escape her attention.

To add on to the whole situation, a flash of lightning lit up the dark woods. The suddenness of bright light still to make him blink. He was that transfixed on her.A fixation which she was sure was fueled by disgust.

He moved, finally, but only to bring down the other spiders that trickled into the clearing from behind the trees. She had finished with the one, void it of all its blood, and moved on to the second.

She had not even had much appetite for a second, but decided to overeat a little, foreseeing a possible long conversation with him. Maybe she should have done it in a more considerate way of telling him first instead of launching directly into a live demonstration.

But it was all too late.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

She dropped the limp body of the spider on the floor. Legolas had already turned his attention away from her feeding before she even started on her second victim.

The sounds from the scrambling spiders have long stopped. The calls of the cricket got louder again as the forest seemingly slipped back to its original state before their little spider killing spree started.

She stood behind him, unsure of what he had thought of the whole thing, and hoping that he would be the first one to speak so that she could gage his thoughts from the tone of his voice. When he didn't, she spoke first.

"Legolas?" she called out, in barely a whisper. His head twitched a little towards her direction, but he was still not looking directly at her. From what she could make out from the light granted by the moon , she could see he was breathless from the killing, and he was staring off at the ground. _Is he in shock? _She thought.

She wouldn't blame him if he was. "I am very sorry if I've shocked you… I thought you should know how the Cold Ones actually are." He lifted a hand with his palms facing upright to signal her to stop.

Not bothering to wipe off the Spider blood staining his sword, he held it in his hand as he half-dragged it along the grass as he slowly made his way back towards the direction of the city gates.

Left alone in the middle of the forest, she stood there willing time to pass. After she was certain that she would not chance upon Legolas on her way back, she then slowly started the journey back too, but at a walking pace.

(-)

When she finally reached her suite, she looked at her watch which she had remembered to bring this time as it was no use depending on a sundial when there was no sun shining in the middle of the night. Ironically, the time was only needed to be known when they sneaked out to hunt and needed to know how long more do they have before dawn. Her watch stated 4.30am, about an hour more to sunrise.

She slipped out of her dress carefully. As cautious as she had been, there were still evidence that she had been frolicking around in the forest from the soil stains near the bottom trimmings of the skirt. Her dress meant for the next day was already hanging by the full-length mirror beside her bed.

"It would be more polite to knock, you know." She said to Bella as she patted down the dress that she just changed into.

"How did it go?" Bella asked. It was only when Ruby turned around that she realized Bella was dressed ready for home. Obviously she wasn't very confident nor optimistic that Ruby's confession would have ended well. Ruby shook her head slightly from side to side and sat down on the bed with her face in her hands.

"I don't think it would earn us a place as wanted criminals but I am definitely so single again... If I was considered attached in the first place." She mumbled from behind her hands. She felt the bed shift slightly as Bella seated herself next to her with a comforting arm on her back.

"It's his loss." Bella said, though it sounded unconvincing. "I'd be fine. Just let me be for awhile. And don't let Edward near me." Ruby warned, "I'm not in the mood for him to hear my thoughts."

"Which means I'm allowed in" Seth asked, as he walked in through the open door. As fed-up as she felt, Ruby still managed a feeble smile at her old friend. It was hard to stay angry with Seth, though the very first argument they was by record the longest argument they had, ever.

Other than Jacob, Ruby had not known that Seth was a shape-shifter too, for she had initially thought that Seth was a pet wolf that the Cullens kept, and a very intelligent one too. And as a mark of mutual respect to the shape-shifters, the Cullens do not prey on similar animals of their kind, such as dogs, foxes and wolves. Alice and Jasper had also, with a generous amount of money, set up an adoption home for abandoned dogs though it has sadly started to include other types of animals as well with the rate of pet abuse and abandonment increasing year after year.

Apparently Seth took advantage of this ignorant point and was sticking to Ruby so much that there was this once she had almost changed her clothes with him in the same bedroom. Thankfully Alice foresee that coming and had Adam interrupting it just as Ruby was about to lift her shirt over her head. Seth was dragged out by the nape of his neck, still in his wolf form, while a flabbergasted Ruby was left alone in the room after Adam slammed it shut with a howling Seth in toil.

For close to a month after, Ruby had stared daggers whenever Seth was within viewing distance, while Seth avoided her gaze and stayed well out of her way.

"Oh, you know it wouldn't have happened anyway. Alice would have predicted and put a stop to it!" Seth complained for the umpteenth time. "Once was all it would take and it would have been bad enough. What if Alice's prediction reached her a tad too late. Nothing would have stopped me from killing you." Ruby argued back. "I can't believe that you are such a jerk and tried to do that."

"Oh come on, Ruby. You still love me. I know you do." Seth joked and nudged Ruby's ribcage with an elbow. "Yes, Seth. I would love. To kill you." She joked, and Bella laughed as she made her way back to her room, satisfied that Seth would do well to keep Ruby's mind off her situation.

(-)

It was time for the much-dreaded breakfast again. Often paused with long silences because most of those seated at the table were still in the typical early morning daze or trance, making it slightly more difficult for Ruby to sneak her food to Seth when there was a lack of decent insightful conversations going on.

Ruby made sure that she was one of the last to reach the table this morning, ensuring her of a seat furthest from King Thranduil and Legolas, since usually the earliest to arrive would be obligated to fill up the seats right beside them.

She made careful sure that Seth, who walked in together with her and automatically assumed the seat beside hers would strategically block her from the Prince's sight - such that if Legolas had bothered to look at her general direction, he would not have been able to see her.

Throughout breakfast, she couldn't stop her mind from thinking. She began to doubt her wishful thinking that there was a remote possibility the Prince would have accepted them. Just when she mentally reprimanded herself for being so naïve, a hand reached over to cup hers in a reassuring squeeze. She looked up and met Bella's eyes. It was filled with pity and she dreaded that look. Ruby was always secretly proud. Proud of being one who has sufficient self-control in not hunting down random innocent humans and of how close-knit the vampire family was. And though she would admit to pangs of envy and longing to have someone special to behold, she had not foreseen that 'pity' would be mixed anywhere in it.

"I am fine, Bella." She said, after taking a deep breath. "There are people in this world with much worser issues to handle." And she sincerely meant the second part of her statement, as she thought back to how some of her classmates were from families who were trying very hard to make ends meet. And of how Carlisle had sometimes shared with them upsetting stories of patients despite all the medical advancements, was taken away from their loved ones too sudden and too soon.

But still, nothing could stop that dull ache in her. She took another deep breath with her eyes closed. "I'm done. I guess." She said, as she stood to her feet while making careful sure that the heavy chairs do not drag across the tiles of the dining hall.

As Bella rose from her seat too, Ruby placed an arm on her and said, "I'd like to be alone." With a slight frown, Bella sat back down while Edward patted her shoulder and whispered something to her.

Ruby walked without looking back. She couldn't wait to get out of the Palace. Every corner she turned, every door she walked past, she had secretly hoped that the Prince was there, waiting to speak with her. Not only was she disappointed everytime she turned and he wasn't there, it was making her very upset as well.

Subconsciously, she was making her way to the archery range. It was still empty since the soldiers were probably reporting in to their section commanders. It was a place that she felt very comfortable at. The grass there was always kept short and neat. Twigs and dry leaves were always cleared away from the compound to facilitate training, not as if Elves would trip over them at all.

She removed her shoes and walked on the grass with her barefeet. They were still damp with morning dew. She picked up a bow and some arrows that were left hanging off a makeshift tentage. Without bothering to make her way to the start point, she stood where she was and fired an arrow each at the 20 boards meant for target practice.

Each shot flew true and straight, plunging firmly in the centre of each target.

"I see that your skills have improved." Came a voice from behind her. Ruby mentally slapped herself for being so easily sneaked up upon.

"Dhother." She greeted him politely. He had not changed at all over the years. Actually, neither did any of the Elves whom she saw. He nodded his head in reply.

She let her arms fall to her side, while still holding on to the bow. "May I?" Dhother said, and she offered him the bow. He took it from her, and with some arrows already strapped to his back, he moved a few steps closer to the starting line and patiently took aim at the target before releasing the arrow.

It continued in this awkward way for some time while she patiently observed the target, rather than on the senior Elf who showed no intent of starting a conversation. Just as she decided that the level of awkward silence between them was overbearing and she turned to go, Dhother remarked, "I followed you and Legolas last night."

She stopped dead in her tracks.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

She did not turn around to face him as she had expected him to continue. Disappointedly, he didn't.

"And?" she pressured him to finish his little speech.

"I did make some observations that might be to your disadvantage." He admitted, though she did not detect any hostility nor malice in his tone.

Ruby had once thought that the Elves were supreme and faultless beings, so much more perfect and cohesive than the average human... But Dhother was starting to get on her nerves right now. It seemed like he was here to negotiate a deal with her. She was half vexed, and half curious to see what he had up his sleeves.

The fact that he was punctuating his speech with such long pauses made her entertain the idea of throwing a rock at his head. She could be swift and quick, and knock Dhother out cold. 15minutes tops was all it would have taken for her to warn the rest and get the hell out of Mirkwood. It could happen so fast, nobody would have even known that they were gone.

But realistically, she knew that that was no way to treat any living being. The part about knocking him out cold, of course.

"What is it that you want, Dhother?" Her voice lowered to almost a growl as she voiced out her question behind gritted teeth.

Dhother looked slightly taken aback by her reaction, but regained his composure quickly enough to reply, "Do not misunderstand me; I would never have thought you will hurt Mirkwood. It would have been too easy for you and your kin to do so. I know we would have been destroyed a long time ago if you meant any harm."

Ruby was glad he had enough sense in him to know that. Yet she was guilty for being so defensive. There was still some hope for the Elven kind after all.

"I do, however, have a favour to ask of you." He continued.

She finally turned around to face a solemn-looking Dhother. A favour? From a proud man as he? It was indeed interesting.

From one of the high windows of the castle, Erurost could make out the two figures at the archery range as they spoke. His lips were set in a tight grim line as he hoped that his plan would work; they just needed that little more time.

(-)

Ever since they had arrived at Mirkwood, there was hardly anytime at all where the vampires, together with Seth, had time to gather alone. But there they were, cramped inside Ruby's suite. For the first time she lamented at the loss of her original bigger suite she was allocated with during her first visit. Their discussion was also going nowhere.

"Everyone does something stupid once in awhile." Seth remarked, as he spread himself lazily across the sofa. Everyone else, due to the lack of space, were on their feet. The men in the group had their arms crossed and were deep in thought, although they were not talking.

"Ruby, we are here by your choice. Your decision will determine our next course of action." Edward spoke so fast, it sounded like a hum.

She let out a deliberating sigh as she sensed the mounting pressure for her to speak her mind. Edward was not making this easy for her. She knew that she could not shirk from the responsibility. She was the one who initiated this trip, well… sort of… and so naturally she should also be the one to decide when it should come to an end, like a closing chapter of her life that she may not want to revisit.

She put much thought into it. What Dhother proposed did make sense. They would be serving for the good of Mirkwood. And being immortals, they had forever to do so. The service that Dhother seek from them was within their means. They could easily protect the whole of Mirkwood's borders if they wanted to. All they had to do was to spread themselves quite thinly. And besides, Mirkwood had their own army who would also continue to play a part in the forest's defense, so they were not solely dependent on the Cold Ones. They would merely be playing a supporting role to the soldiers.

Not only that, Ruby also saw in this endeavor the opportunity to go out and see more of Middle Earth. Going home would be returning to their rather mudane life. Esme was ready to defer her studies for a year if necessary. The Forks community had already been continuously fed with information that the Cullens have a massive family tree of distant relatives located across the country and abroad. It was not unusual that they had to disappear for unnamed lengths of time on so-called family visits and camping trips, since the Cullens' kids have always wonderfully caught up with homework and whatnot when they returned. Even the school could find no fault with this arrangements since it seemed the children did some sort of self-study though they were physically absent.

Ruby snapped back out of her semi-daydream when she realized that Edward was still looking at her intently, waiting for her to verbalise her answer. She had figured out how his mindreading abilities worked. He was able to see how she was trying to reach a decision in her head. He could probably hear too, how she was weighing the possibilities and comparing the alternatives – though he may have also sensed how she had diverted her attention and thought of Esme deferring her academic studies. But even with Edward's capability, it was hard for him to know whether the person whose mind he was invading had come to a final decision unless they speak of it.

"I reckon let's just take it up." She finally said. Edward already knew the reasons why and was coolly looking out the window into the tops of the trees along the horizon and beyond. The rest still looked at her expectantly for her to explain further.

"There's got to be so much more of Mirkwood that we have not seen. We've stayed in the city long enough. I say let's take up the offer of patrolling the borders. We might even chance upon some things that we would never come across in our own world. Elves are not the only inhabitants of Middle Earth." And as she said so, she realized she was getting a little jumpy and rocking back and forth from her toes to her heels.

It did sound enticing. Jasper and Adam were caught up in a hushed conversation but Ruby could hear their positive comments and agreement in taking up Dhother's proposal. Seth was hyped up enough to sit up on the sofa and biting his nails, a sign that he was excited enough and looking forward.

Ruby noticed that Bella and Edward were staring at each other's eyes again, but she knew that their thoughts were actually being communicated like some wireless transmission technology. Sometimes she thought of how Edward and Bella were both absolutely meant for each other. No other girl would have been able to tolerate a guy like Edward who could pry into a girl's mind like that, reading her thoughts. This, of course, earned Ruby a dirty stare from Edward who reminded her with a raised brow that he heard her thoughts.

Ruby could only smile sheepishly back at him. "If there are no objections," Ruby said as she headed towards the door, "I will speak to Dhother to let him know that we will be taking up his offer."

She waited awhile more, but no one was vehemently against the idea. She walked out and closed the door softly behind her, making her way towards the King's study.

(-)

She knocked on the door twice. The sound of it echoed along the corridor.

She heard someone whisper, "Here she is." Without waiting, she gently pushed open the door, after recognizing that it wasn't Thranduil's voice.

The King was nowhere in sight. Only Erurost and Dhother stood in the middle of the large Study. It was probably only 2 in the afternoon but the sky had somehow grown considerably darker with the sound of thunder rumbling some distance away. At the back of her mind, Ruby noted that this was also the very first time that the weather had changed. It was usually sunny and windy in Mirkwood. There was a nagging thought on whether it had anything to do with her choice.

"Good afternoon, Sirs." She greeted diplomatically. They both nodded in response with a slight bow.

Although the Study was considerably dark, Erurost and Dhother had not bothered to light the many candles available in the Study but one. And the weak flame flickered so much because of the strong winds that were picking up, it looked like it would have been put out at any time.

Ruby's attention was drawn to the annoying flame for awhile before she focused back on the 2 Elves.

"You have come to us with your decision." Erurost stated. It was not a question.

"Indeed, I do." She replied. But just for the sake of furthering the suspense, she did not elaborate further. She was secretly thrilled by how it was their turn to be the uncertain party.

"And?" Erurost prodded, his patience wearing thin.

"We choose to accept it." She said, phrasing it carefully so the 2 Elves know that the choice was not made alone and that her group was unanimous in this decision.

Erurost had a small smile on his face, as if he was very glad of her answer, while Dhother remained impassive.

"But on one condition." She added. Erurost formed a silent 'o' with his lips, but recovered quickly. "Let us hear it." He stated.

"We hope that Mirkwood remembers that we are not obligated to serve, and that there is no stated period nor duration to this… arrangement." She realized that there was no proper term to describe this non-binding agreement.

"Very well." Erurost nodded. If anything, he seemed very excited that they had taken up the offer. "We will arrange for everything else to be prepared. If there is no other concern, you and your party will ride out with Dhother at daybreak."

She smiled weakly in reply. There was nothing further to be said. She stood awkwardly in the room for awhile before realizing this.

"If there is nothing else…" she trailed off, as she pointed towards the door.

"Yes, please. Rest well today, my lady." Erurost spoke hurriedly. "It will be a long journey tomorrow."

As she turned to leave, Ruby can't help but find the whole situation weird, yet she can't put a finger on it. It may have been attributed to Thranduil's missing presence in the room – it was the King's study after all. But logically speaking, one does not expect a ruler of such a fine kingdom to rule from behind closed doors. He must have had to leave the Palace once in awhile to do some public relations with the other Elves.

She stepped back out into the corridor and walked almost 30 feet from the door when she decided to do a little eavesdropping.

The corridor along the Study had a splendid view of a small garden within the Palace grounds. It would be very easy for her to act like she was admiring the plants when she was really spying in on the conversation. She was located far away enough to not look suspicious. Moreover, anyone else entering or leaving the Study would have to go through the same corridor so she could keep a lookout for herself while she spied.  
There was a flurry of hushed whispers that Ruby had trouble guessing which voice belonged to whom.  
"I cannot bring myself to trust them."  
"Surely, a single encounter should not have changed your mind so drastically. You were singing their praises when they first came to the city, against my advice. How much things have changed since."  
"I may not have known then but I do now. The Cold Ones are not who they make out to be."  
"And what were you expecting, Dhother? What did you think they make themselves out to be?"  
"They only look like humans and Dunedains. But they are not. And they have admitted that their Kind is different. Their eyes seem to darken as time passes. My guards told me about how they sometimes sneak off in the dead of the night and when they do, one cannot help but notice how the colour of their eyes would be golden and bright the following day! They must have feasted well when they sneaked out."

There was a pause, and for awhile Ruby thought that one of them was leaving the room, but she heard no footsteps nor movement from either Elf.

Then Dhother continued, in a much softer voice that even Ruby had to strain to hear better.

"You were not there to witness the carnage, Erurost. It was as if an animal had possessed her. I…" he hesitated before he continued. "… may not have the courage to defend him if anything happened - Legolas was just standing there, vulnerable to anything she might have done to him in her possessed state."

"I do not know, Erurost, if your plan would succeed. I would do the best in my capacity to ensure the borders are well-defended. But, if you feel that with their aid we can fare better, I shall accede to your request."

Ruby heard a pat, probably Erurost laying a comforting hand on Dhother's shoulders.

"Thank you." came Erurost's voice. "I appreciate your honesty and your keen observations. I shall be frank with you - I cannot say that my foresight has always been right, but do not doubt that my decisions are always in the best interest of the King and our people. The fact that the Cold Ones have never done any harm to our people thus far is enough proof to me that they have a respectable level of morality and integrity, and do not mean to hurt us. We are leveraging on their skills to better protect our land. Their speed and skills could serve us well. Less elven blood will be shed with them around. Until the day the King makes his decision, we will need to ensure that the defenses hold out, and hold well."

At this juncture, Ruby started walking back towards the stairway that would led her back to her family.

She had listened enough to understand the plans that the 2 Elves had in store, though whatever decision of the King's that Erurost was referring to was not of any importance.

She was slightly peeved. Though the vampires were invulnerable, the Elves did not know that. Nor did Ruby see the need to reveal it to them, more so after what has transpired. She could not deny that the Elves were being absolutely selfish.

In his little proposition, Dhother had only mentioned how they were supposed to aid the Elven soldiers in their patrols. Not go solo and risk their lives like dedicated mercenaries, which was the impression she got from the conversation between Erurost and Dhother.

(-)

Erurost turned to leave, but as he did, he turned around and said to Dhother, "Have more men with you when you ride out tomorrow."

"Riding out tomorrow already?" came a deep voice.

The 2 Elves straightened their back before they bowed down respectfully as King Thranduil entered the room.

"My Lord." They both greeted at the same time.

"Who is riding out?" the King asked.

"My Lord, Dhother will be riding out back to the wood patrols."

"But he has just returned!" exclaimed the King.

"It will be different this time. The Cold Ones and the Shape-Shifter will be leaving with him." Erurost answered.

The King raised a quizzical brow. Erurost was quick to deflect the King's curiousity, explaining to him that the guests had requested so in order to see the countryside and possibly venture out of Mirkwood.

The King may not have observed his own thoughts as well as Erurost had did, but his initial plan of using the Cold Ones as a military advantage had long gone when he knew their ties were not to Middle Earth. As a father himself, he was softhearted after all. These hard thoughts collapsed and vanished when during their first visit they told him of how their mother was longing for them and they needed to hurry home.

Erurost also observed how the King had never mentioned once about letting them train with the soldiers at all during the second visit. It was all feasts and celebrations, what with the Prince's return and the subsequent reappearance of the Cold Ones too.

Erurost was determined to make sure that what was important was not forgotten – that though Sauron had fallen and the land of Gondor, including the rest of Middle Earth has had their general peace restored, there were still lingering traces of the Dark Lord everywhere.

(-)

Even before dawn, the palace was already stirring to life. The royal kitchen had to prepare their usual breakfast to feed the groups of staff and soldiers.

For the first time, Ruby and company ate with them. She noticed how simpler foods were prepared instead. Quite a contrast to the feast that they usually have. She also noted how among them were actually some of the Kitchen's own staff.

She easily spotted Dhother among the crowd. He blended in very well with the soldiers that day. No longer was he dressed in commonwear he is usually in when he was in the city. He was in the deep olive green tunic that was common for the patrols to be dressed in to best blend in with the green of the forest.

"He's riding out with us." Edward remarked, as he kept up his act of eating. Briefly, her mind fluttered back to her eavesdropping yesterday. At the same time, a thought crept in – of how there was absolutely no need for her to eavesdrop when there was an Edward on her team.

Edward smiled, able to hear her every thought. Ruby's mind was fascinating to him because she always had random interrupting thoughts that made her more interesting to read at times.

She stood up to leave. Even the chairs and tables were different from the ones they normally sat at. The fanciful ones that royalty usually dined with were still out of sight, yet to be set up.

As if on cue, her group stood up with her, all of them, except for Seth, feeling thankful that it wasn't an elaborate meal which required them to eat, or have to pretend to eat a variety of foodstuff placed in front of them.

What vexed them was not just about having to pretend to eat. It was also a waste of food. There were times even good-natured Bella would shake her head slightly at the sight of Seth gobbling down everything, pitying the poor chef who had poured heart and soul into preparing it.

(-)

"Horses, again?" Jasper mumbled. Ruby heard the comment and looked at his direction. "I thought it was understood that we moved fast enough."

"It is just basic courtesy to them." Edward said, as he nonchalantly held onto the reins of the horse designated to be his ride for this trip. He noticed Seth's expression, before further explaining, "They would rather see us slowed down by riding on horses, than to be quicker than them but running on our feet."

Ruby looked at her Timberland boots, its camel brown tone having darkened considerably due to use. "It is considerate of them though. Tough as these boots are, I doubt they would last long at our pace and distance."

She nimbly hooked a feet on one of the stirrups and swung herself over the back of the animal. The horses were in general, very calm around them this time though it might be because of Jasper's mood-influencing abilities. The horses no longer fidget uncomfortably nor put up any signs of resistance of being mounted by any of them.

"Here we go." She muttered to herself more than anything. The horses moved off, each close to each other, as they were waved off by the stable boys who led them there earlier.

Ruby smiled as she waved at the random Elves. Some she had seen before, some she hadn't. Some she had even recognized from her 1st trip to Middle Earth. It was a pity time did not allow her to get to know more of them better. It seemed that this second and bigger group that ventured out together gave less opportunities of going solo to explore. There was strength in numbers, but it came with its limitations too.

Always surrounded by more of her own people, she realized how cooped up her team actually was. But hoped that this would be different, as her horse made its way with the others to tread down the path that led out of the city.

(-)

They traveled fast and pushed the horses to their limit. But the Elves were never ignorant to the needs of the horses. Dhother soon signaled for the party to slow down and it was soon made clear that the animals were to be thoroughly rested and traveling was done for the day.

This time, Ruby was glad to have her family by her side. There was no Legolas, whom she conveniently did not hear from anymore after that fateful day. No cheerful and chatty Castril to take her mind off things.

Bella squeezed her shoulder before settling down beside her, offering her water in a makeshift cup formed by a big piece of leaf. She gratefully took it over from her foster sister and pretended to gulp. Most of the water was deliberately spilt onto the ground when she felt that no one was looking.

"Give him some time." Ruby heard her say from behind the leaf that was covering more than half her face.

Ruby straightened up and handed the leave back to Bella, as she replied, "I feel helpless, Bella."

"I'm now as helpless as a teenager, going through her first crush." She smiled wistfully at the thought. "Except that the obstacles ahead are more far-fetched than a teenager could ever imagine." She joked.

One good thing about Bella is that unlike her other siblings that may have jumped directly into 1 of the camps that is for, or against, the possible union, Bella often listened without acknowledging sides even if she already had a side in mind. Of course, it was vocalized sometimes especially when it concerns the safety of her daughter or that of her husband (something which Ruby never understood, for who would be worried about safety if your husband was an immortal and of all people, Edward, the fastest moving of their entire vampire coven)!

(-)

Days slowly flowed into weeks. Protecting the Mirkwood borders was an easy task to them, and without a doubt, the Elf soldiers were very appreciative of them, coming to trust them as their own.

They patrolled together with Dhother's group, who never stayed at the same camp for more than 2 nights in a row, for they shifted to the next camp once they were certain that supplies were adequate, and attacks were on a small-scale. The Orcs were never geniuses nor strategists, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. If supplies or manpower was not enough, Dhother would ensure that the one of his own party would stay back to correct it while they advanced to the next camp.

The Cullens were very impressed with this meticulous Elf. It was obvious from the way they were received that Dhother commanded a lot of respect. He also had excellent memory, which was comparable to theirs – he could remember the names of all the Elves they had seen, from the one in-charge of the camp, to even the Cook.

Life became more monotonous for the Cullens. Their duty of patrolling included them venturing into known strongholds belonging to the Orcs to take them down, based on the reports of the camp they were staying with. Occasionally, when spider lairs were a problem to travelers within the Kingdom, they were also more than happy to assist.

Each camp they visited was almost guaranteed of a 50-mile radius that was spider and orc-free. The city of Mirkwood was not ignorant of this. There were messengers constantly updating Erurost who had then transferred these good tidings to the King.

"My Lord, Herdur has also returned with reports that their camp has been secured also." Erurost said, with a confident smile on his lips as he updated the King.

"Good, good." Said Thranduil, as his eyes scanned yet another petition. A King's job is never ending. In times of peace and safety, there were other concerns to look at, such as improving the quality of life of his people.

He suddenly paused and lowered the scroll he was holding, eyes looking straight a Erurost. "But do you not find it weird, Eru?" he asked.

Erurost stopped smiling and looked at him questioningly. "That the Cold Ones and that Shape-shifter should have left without saying a word!" Thranduil said. "They were not very young, and should have been more aware that they should have spoken to me personally if they intended to patrol the borders with Dhother. Did you know anything about it before they left? Did they mention the reason to their haste? Was someone unwell in their family that they needed to stay close to the Borders from where they came?"

"I am sure they have their reasons, my Lord. But no, I did not get to speak with them" Erurost replied with his head bowed, hoping that his lie would not be exposed.

"Hmm." Was all the King replied, and all his attention returned to the scroll at hand.  
(-)

"Allow me." Jasper's voice broke her from her thoughts. Still recovering from the slight shock she had received, she nodded meekly, chastising herself for being so careless when they were in-between Camps and could have been suddenly attacked out of nowhere.

Jasper climbed the trees, more nimble than a monkey could, and retrieved the dried clothes from the lower tree branches.

"We're leaving soon." He said to Ruby, as she nodded again. "You okay?" he asked.

She hated to be found like that. She was behaving like some emo teenager, dark gothic makeup and black sense of fashion. It was the last thing in this world she wanted to be remotely identified with.

"I'm just thinking why does it have to happen to me." She vented. "Why do I have to like someone here, of all places."

She sped up and was soon walking beside him.

"Billions of people in our world, and I had to chance upon Middle Earth and develop this huge crush on someone here." She realized she was talking more than she should. She turned her squinted eyes and looked at Jasper warily. He shrugged and smiled back at her, saying, "I just thought it'd be easier for you to talk about it rather than often going off alone like that and making us all worry."

"If you think I'd become suicidal or something, you are greatly mistaken." She muttered. "I just find it unfair. No one in the family had to go through that much. Rose and Em, Alice and you, Mum and Dad. Everyone's had a pretty smooth-sailing love life. Edward and Bella's might have been filled with more turmoil than the rest, but look at the beautiful little girl that came out of their human-immortal relationship."

"I almost lost Bella. How can yours be comparable?" She turned her head around and saw Edward, holding a wooden pail in each hand, filled to the brim with fresh water from the stream, not a single drop splashing as he walked over to them, stepping over massive tree roots and uneven growth of grasses and wild plants.

Ruby felt ashamed. "You're right." She sighed, resigned to fate. "I'm being a selfish arse again who is only thinking of herself." Edward messed up her hair in a show of affection for his younger sibling. "You have a long way to go Ruby. You're still a baby."

"I'm not a baby." She pouted with hands at her hips. "This is just, probably a vamp's version of puberty at the ripe old age of 50." They laughed as they entered back to their camp site. Edward settled the water right beside the fire, while Ruby and Jasper went to pack up the freshly washed clothes and prepare to leave.

All was packed. The fire was put out with the water that Edward had drawn, and what remained was used to fill up all the water bottles.

(-)  
Orcs scattered wherever they went. It became more of a chasing game for the patrols as they hunted Orcs down. The Elven army gained confidence to the point of venturing beyond the borders, sensing their advantage with the Cold Ones on their side in battle. Elf casualties became an uncommon occurrence, though it was unavoidable that there were still patrol guards who were seriously wounded in the battles.

"School will be starting soon." Adam mentioned one night, after another successful Orc raid and the usual small celebratory dinner held among the team.

Seated on the floor, and just awhile ago intently concentrating on reaching to touch her toes, Ruby sat back up and straightened her back. Her vision shifted to the watch on Adam's wrist, which reflected the date. They had about a week left before the start of the next school term. She took a deep breath, taking in the familiar damp mossy smell that lingered throughout the trees of Mirkwood - a smell that she had come to familiarise and love.

"Let's go back to camp." Adam said, as he walked over to her with a hand stretched out to help her onto her feet. Ruby also knew that this indicated Adam was not looking for a decision from her. He was stating a fact that they had to return. And soon.

(-)  
Try as he may, Dhother could not go to bed that night. For most nights since the Cold Ones and the shape-shifter joined, he had been able to sleep properly. No longer did he have to remain seated upright, with his eyes open as most Elves do, but he felt relaxed enough to actually tuck himself into his makeshift bed which usually remained unpack during their patrols.

The time he dreaded was finally here. Their impending return worried him. Though he had always had the firm belief that the defense of Mirkwood should never be depended upon on strangers (moreover guests to their land), he did appreciate the boost in confidence that their presence had achieved.

The patrols were more confident than ever. Orc sightings were almost down to zero, unless the patrols intentionally ventured beyond borders to hunt down those that had not ventured further enough, away from Mirkwood.

It was what he had repeatedly warned Erurost about. But all Erurost had in his mind was getting the female Cold One away from Legolas. The Kingdom knew that Lady Mirlanna was destined from birth to be the next Queen, but he did not think too badly of Ruby either. She was a proven soldier in battle. And when they were away from fights, she was pleasant to be around with. Her arguments with Seth were hilarious at times when things got monotonous as they rode on horseback to the next patrol post that required a few days of travel.

He ran through his thoughts of them inside his head. Having been in many fights for the past few weeks, he realised he had gradually gotten close to them as he did with his soldiers, but not through conversations for he still felt it difficult to trust non-Elves, but there was an unspoken camaraderie between them which he genuinely came to like.

Seth was the live wire of not just the group, but the entire camp. Shifting his shape from wolf to human at will, Dhother could not deny how entertaining it was to witness the looks of shock on the faces of the Orcs right before Seth gave a deadly strike to wipe it permanently off their face for the rest of infinity. He will not deny that this little element of surprise was a great advantage to his men.

Then came to Adam and Jasper, the only 2 Cold Ones whom he was most comfortable with. Jasper was obviously the leader and decision-maker of the team. Dhother could tell that Jasper also had some military background, as he often gave advise on strategies to attack, depending on the terrain that the raid will take place.

Adam acts just like a disciplinarian. But only specifically towards Seth, where discipline was what he needed most. He put Seth in his place when he felt that Seth was annoying the others, though not curt enough to be rude. Seth usually got the message and would tone down his antics, restoring peace to the group.

Dhother's mind shifted on to the last of the group - Edward and Bella. These were the 2 that he could not fathom for they seem to keep to themselves the most, mingling only among their own kind.

They seldom took centrestage in fights, preferring to cover the team from the back, in case of unexpected backup assaults, as he came to learn.

The first few times the surprise backup attacks happened, it took him by surprise that the Orcs were getting strategically smarter for they were usually coarse and clumsy.

One of their bigger fights consisted of what could be a hundred over Orcs. Dhother could still clearly recall the mild panic he experienced when he realised that the Orcs they were attacking had backup that suddenly swamped down from all 4 directions. It was then that he realised Edward and Bella were comfortably located at the back of the group, making them nearly invincible.

(-)

Ruby hated the mornings. Since they have started on their patrolling duties, she became more aware that mornings brought with it a sickening moisture to everything. There was dew in their tents that they had to pack up. Dew in her hair that made it damp and causes her hair to stick to her scalp. As she placed the saddle on her horse as gently as possible, the tingling metal joints on the reins which accidentally come into contact with her bare hands would leave her skin tingling.

Dolon, one of Dhother's trusted elf, walked past holding on one of the last bags to be tied onto his horse. As he passed Ruby who was dusting off imaginary water droplets from her clothing, he remarked, "Winter is coming. The patrols can return soon."

"Don't they still need the patrols to keep the Orcs out?" She asked, surprised.

Dolon shook his head and explained, "They go up to the caves and stay hidden there. So we get to return home, but we will have to return before they do."

She nodded, silently surprised. But what was even more surprising was that Dhother announced that they were returning back to the Kingdom - it was met with smiles from all the Elves who were happy at the prospect of an early return to their families and loved ones.

She noticed Jasper's emotionless expression and frowned.

Everyone was disbanded to mount up on their horses as they slowly moved out, towards the direction of the Kingdom, except for a batch of support staff who were usually the ones who set up their temporary encampments while the group that left with Dhother did all the fighting.

She nudged her horse slightly to speed it up until she was in pace with Jasper's.

"You spoke to Dhother. I knew it." she said calmly, without turning her head to look at her brother.

She heard him exhale and knew it was accompanied by his trademark smile that showed no teeth. Jasper, charismatic and sincere as he was, never liked to express his emotions dramatically.

"I did." He replied, after a minute of silence.

"And?" she prodded him further.

"He said ok."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Of course he did. I bet he never mentioned to you about how he plans to tie us all up so we won't get to go home."

"Well then, it must take some really powerful Elven rope. Probably one that was enchanted by some spell." He replied quite seriously.

"Oh, come on, Jasper." She frowned again. "or I'd convince Seth to not help you finish your food so you'd have to figure your own way out." she threatened light heartedly.

"Alice did not warn me about this, so no. I doubt that would happen." He confidently said, with a tinge of smugness in his voice.

She sat up as a question hit her. "Did she say anything about..." her voice trailed off.

"There is alot that you need to experience for yourself, Ruby. It is not up to Alice and her foresight to tell you."

She knew better than to question further as she slowed her horse's pace and fell to the back of the group.

(-)

Returning from the borders was much faster than she thought. They were no longer circling the edge of borders, and merely making a direct dash towards the kingdom.

The elves' knowledge of their foresty land enabled them to utilise every possible shortcut. On top of that, they hardly stopped for breaks at all, so eager were the Elves to get home.

Just as she had left at dawn, it was also the same time of day that Ruby found her horse trudging back up the familiar wide cobblestone pathway that leads up to the palace. Only half the number was left as most of the Elves made their way back to their respective homes directly.

She looked up from under her hood that she had placed over her head in a feeble attempt to keep her head dry. She inhaled sharply as her eyes met directly with Legolas', who happened to be standing by 1 of the many windows. Quickly, she cast her vision down again, as she pretended to fumble with her hood, pulling it closer around herself.

The doors opened as some of the palace staff rushed out to welcome them home. If there was 1 thing she looked forward to, it was to stay warm and toasty by the fire, with no more wet mornings.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:  
She was generally a very nice person. Adam and her were probably the friendliest Cullens, especially when it came to mingling with the kids at school. While their elder siblings chose to remain aloof and distanced themselves from the others when they were still in school, Adam and Ruby were the popular sociable kids who had it all - smarts, money, and most importantly, a great number of humans who reciprocated their friendliness.

So Ruby was not exactly thrilled to be regarded as an invislble entity. Moreover, by someone whom she could not get out of her head.

Legolas was the closest she ever had to a crush. She probably had a massive crush on someone too, back when she was still a human. But that part of her life was a distant hazy memory now.

What was most important was that she knew it was not a one-sided and unrequited puppy love. The kisses they had, the lingering touches, and even their little spats were not her imagination. But now, the only evidence of all that, was that this person remained incredibly pissed with her.

Or, maybe, he was terrified; she could not tell. He had regarded her other companions as he had always did. Friendly and diplomatic. But even with her staring directly at him with no shame, he would glance past her as if he could not see her.

Feeling helpless and lost, she confided in Bella. Bella was sympathetic to what she was going through, having been through something similar herself. Yet the only advise she could dispense to Ruby was to leave it in the hands of Fate and to give him more time. He had to come to terms with it himself. After all, they have only returned that very morning.

(-)

Later in the evening as she walked into the familiar ballroom, Ruby instantly realised the difference. The ballroom was usually lighted up by grand chandeliers that were powered by hundreds of candles. Yet that night, they seemed even brighter than usual.

Castril, whom she was delighted to see again, had proudly shared that it was attributed to a wonderful idea of Mirlanna's. It included the placement of mirrors that intensified the candle flames to all other parts of the grand ballroom. She admired the significant change that this idea had brought to the space. Although already a classic idea in interior designing back at her world, she figured it must be a relatively new concept in Middle Earth. Ruby did agree that Mirlanna deserved some credit after all.

She soon found herself thrown at the same main table with the royal family. Word of their innumerable Orc conquests and successes have reached the Kingdom. It was a very pleased King Thranduil that night who toasted to the heroes of Mirkwood so many times that Ruby lost count.

The night got colder as the dinner celebration continued.

"And what better way to end the night, than with fireworks." The King announced with his hands stretched out, signaling the start of a great performance. Excited cheers and applause sounded throughout the hall. Everyone excitedly got on to their feet amidst busy chatterings as they made their way out to the ballroom's balconies to get the best view.

With each colourful explosion of fire and colours, the crowd cheered, mesmerised by the vibrant display that lighted up the sky.

Ruby and her family stood with the rest, appreciating the marvellous sights while halting their breath due to the overbearing smell of gunpowder, no thanks to their keen sense of smell.

She felt like a third wheel, with Bella's elbows hooked around hers, and with Edward on the other end of Bella's arms.

"I think I shall retire for the night." She whispered to Bella, who looked at her with understanding. Bella patted her back and nodded.

With a grateful smile to both her siblings, she retreated to the back. At the corner of her eye, she witnessed Jasper and the King engaged in a talk on the balcony. She made a mental note to follow up with Jasper again on what transpired.

As she emerged from behind the curtains, she noticed that most of the candles in the ballroom had already finished burning. With everyone out on the balcony, the attendants did not find it necessary to relight them since the meal was already finished, and were instead paying more attention to clearing out the used dishes and cutlery.

She offered them an appreciative smile as she made her way out of the ballroom. She walked along the corridors towards the opposite wing of the castle which were much darker than the illuminated ballroom in comparison. Ruby realised that she was so deep in thought that she had not noticed a silent figure in the dark making his way towards her direction.

The wind was not in her advantage that night, or she would have picked up the scent of freshly cut grass emitted so strongly by this person.

Legolas had been successfully avoiding her the whole day, whether in his conversations, or thorugh his eyes. But there was no avoiding now. The 26feet corridor was wider than the ones Ruby had at home, but it felt like just a mere 6 feet.

She realised with dread that she had not give it much thought about how to react if they had some time off together. Like right now. It was something she did not expect to happen. They must have stood in the semi-dark, looking at each other in complete surprise for a few seconds.

But in that mere seconds, she had a flashback. About how they met for the first time, how she was afraid that the Prince would be able to see through their disguised lies about their identities and real diet. How she then tried to pathetically seduce him to throw him off their tracks. She smiled bitterly at the ill-timed memories.

Focusing back to the present at the scenario that laid in front of her now, she recollected herself, and gave a curtsy as she bowed her head in respect. She had seen many of the ladies do this.

Legolas' usual reaction to this was to nod in reply, which was exactly what he did.

She never looked at him after the curtsy, choosing instead to move off quickly around the bend of the corridor to disappear from sight.

She heard his movements, how he turned around to face her as she passed by very quickly. She also did not miss out how he did call out her name hoping that she would stop. But her feet would not allow it. They continued walking as if they had a mind of their own. The soft sandals made no noise as she continued hurrying back to her room.

"Ruby!" she heard him call out her name again.

This time, she slowed down.

"I'm sorry." she blurted out as she turned around to face him. His eyes widened slightly in wonder.

"I shouldn't have showed you that much. Right?" She continued, as she turned her head away to admit. "I regretted every single day after that. I shouldn't have. But there was no way for me to explain to you. Would you have believed me?" He remained silent.

"Yes, we feed on blood - my family and I. But that is the real us. And we live among humans in my world - humans whom we would not hesitate to kill in order to keep this identiy a secret."

"That is how we live!" she threw her hands in the air in resignment. " And we love Middle Earth because we are not constrained. We are not bind to act in a certain way that we have to back in our world."

She paused for awhile, and turned her head to face him again. "I tried to keep away Legolas. Let you continue on with life on Middle Earth while I lead mine. But I couldn't keep away. I thought about you all the time."

"You could have gotten us killed. You could have hurt my people." He finally spoke. And it hit Ruby - for dating a Ruler, or someone of royalty was not in her CV. She was quite ashamed that she had not considered things from his point.

Legolas did not go on further to explain that it was a good thing the Cold Ones had packed up and left hurriedly while he was still recovering from his shock that night. In his panic and haste, Legolas knew that he could have impulsively called the guards upon them, despite knowing that Ruby and her family would have expertly resisted arrest, although the fatalities that ensued would have been disastrous.

The Cold Ones might not have any intention to hurt anybody, but the Elves were fiercely loyal and would go to extremes to take down their target. The thought of it possibly happening scared him.

"You were never in danger with us. We would never hurt an Elf. Especially you." she almost growled back as the accusation raised her hackles, though there was a small part of him that was right. If Elves had appealed to them as do human blood, they might have lost the self control that Carlisle and Esme had so painstakingly instilled in them, considering the countless perfect opportunities that exposed them to seriously wounded Elves on the verge of bleeding to death.

"I am sorry." she admitted. "I really am."

They continued standing in the dark, in deafening silence. He evidently had nothing else to say.

"Are we... still... friends?" she ventured. Ruby then felt extremely stupid for even asking. Till then, their roles in each other's lives has never been clearly defined. But the term 'friends' seemed to sound ridiculous. Now he is going to think that she frolics around nonchalantly with other guys who are 'friends'.

He gave a very slight nod of his head. If she had not been staring at him intently, and if her sense of sight was not as sharp, she would have missed it.

"Thank you." She whispered to him.

Ordinarily, she would have went ahead to hug him - a show of affection that would have been a natural closure to an argument with someone who meant alot, but she found herself rooted to the ground, unable to take a step nearer towards him.

"I... Good night, Legolas." She fumbled, as she left him alone in the near-dark corridor to continue her walk back.


End file.
